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<< [http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=White_Ajah_Community_Page Back to White Ajah Community Page]<br>
 
<< [http://library.tarvalon.net/index.php?title=White_Ajah_Community_Page Back to White Ajah Community Page]<br>
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==White Lab Report December 2012/January 2013==
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'''Editor''': [[Myralin al'Ser]]<br><br>
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==White Lab Report October/November 2012==
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'''Editor''': [[Myralin al'Ser]]<br><br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.1.jpg]]
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<br>
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In honor of this month's United States presidential election, the White Ajah is proud to present to you this Special Election Edition of the White Lab Report! Read our candidates' platforms below and choose your favorite! Winners will be announced once all the results are in.<br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.2.jpg|center|200px]]
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Nynaeve al'Meara<br>
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Health care for all! I vow to find a cure for everything, including being dead for three days. I will work tirelessly to ensure all health care professionals are skilled in the latest techniques and are willing to go into the streets to help the sick and starving children. I guarantee to find a cure for insanity, madness, and yes, even stupidity!!<br><br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.3.jpg|center|200px]]
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Semirhage<br>
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No good deed will go unpunished! I promise to spread the pain thickly and evenly throughout the land. No child will be left behind when it is time for dealing out agony. Torture will become commonplace and there will be plenty for all!<br><br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.4.jpg|center|200px]]
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Mat Cauthon<br>
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Defeating the Dark One & returning Randland to the good old days it used to enjoy will take a lot more than all the heroes of our age and your run of the mill luck -so why settle? Vote for the man who can bring you all the heroes of this age and all the ages before! Vote for the man whose luck almost never fails! VOTE MAT!<br><br>
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*Platforms written by candidates' campaign managers Keisha and Miya.
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<br>
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Here is a delicious recipe for oatmeal cookies from Emerylde.
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*Go to grocery store.
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*Buy package of Oatmeal Cookie Mix.
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*Per the directions, add egg and softened butter/margarine.
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*Dollop onto cookie sheet and bake for the recommended amount of time.
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*Really. The recommended amount of time is perfect.
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*Take cookies out of oven.
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*Eat them.
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*If you like raisins, add them to the mix before you bake the cookies
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<br>
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<br>
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Here is a how-to article from Enya with more bubble tips!
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Bubbles in all shapes and sizes.
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[[File:WLR 10.12.6.jpg|200px|left]]
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I assume most of the people who read this have blown bubbles of some kind. In this lesson, we're going to blow tiny and huge bubbles, and a special bubble.
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Now, tiny bubbles are quite simple; just use your straw.  Or, dip a small wand in the solution and blow with the straw. This concentrates your air stream and you get small bubbles.
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The huge bubbles are rather simple too, once you know how. You can quite simply make some about the size of a beach ball by using a bit of string and a couple of straws. Cut the straw in two, thread onto about an arms length of string and knot into a circle. Take hold of each of the string pieces, dip into the solution and slowly take it out. Spread your hands and drag through the air. Simple.
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Wanna make even bigger bubbles? Well, use the advanced wand!
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'''''The Square Bubble'''''
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Now, bring out a wand you can bend. What will happen if you bend it into a square before you blow your bubble?<br>
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It is still round! This is because a nice little thing called surface tension. This is the same thing that lets insects walk on water, or let you fill your glass overfull without it spilling. Now, because of this tension, the shape of the bubble will take the form where the surface is the smallest possible with the given amount of air inside it. And that shape is a sphere.<br>
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Now, it is actually possible to make a cube bubble; you just need to know how. You'll need a straw and a small-ish wand, to hand your bubble creation from. Start blowing on the bubble to hang from your wand, then 5 more of roughly the same size. They are to form a cluster of six bubbles. Now, look carefully into the middle. See the flat square? Make sure your straw is all wet with no bubble film at the tip, gently insert into the middle of the cluster and blow gently. Your bubble should now look something like this:
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[[File:WLR 10.12.5.jpg|200px|center]]
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By the same principle, you can make bubbles in shape of any of the Platonic solids. Isn't that neat?
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<br>
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October birthdays:
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*Arelwen- 10
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*Torval- 13
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*Zhareen- 28
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November birthdays:
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*Aeryth-7th
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*Thalin-10th
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*Alene-18th
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*Bridonna-19th
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*Miya-26th
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Congratulations to our new Soul, Charis, and thank you to Chalisea for all her hard work!
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<br>
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This issue's interview is of the lovely Keisha Sedai by Charis:
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<br>
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This July we said goodbye to our outgoing First Reasoner, and welcome Keisha al'Benn into the position. Keisha Sedai joined the site in January 2006 and joined the tower in February of that same year. She was raised to the White in January of 2007. She has been bonded to Ivanor Winshaw of DM since March 2011, and the two have won the Member's Choice Award for best bonded couple of 2012. Keisha Sedai also serves on the Department of Community Outreach, and has previously been a Sitter for the Whites, and a previous editor of the White Lab Report. She is currently the mentor of Kassina Tendar. I took the time to ask Keisha Sedai a few questions.
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Keisha Sedai applied for the position of First Reasoner because she wanted to give back to the site that has given so much to her. She says she “started with Sitter to 'get my feet wet' and then felt I was ready to move on to something more ambitious.” She also states she "loves, loves" her White sisters and is “so proud to serve them!”. Her least favorite part is learning all the “mod stuff” as she is “not very computer language literate”. Her favorite part is “everything else!!”
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Her favorite color is “Blue and lately purple”, book is “Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin”. She has “3 cats, 1 dog, 6 chickens, and fish”, as well as her son and five step-children. When asked to describe her favorite pair of shoes, she responded “I can't; I have about 25 pairs and they are each my favorite when I am wearing them!” Well played.
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For those wondering what the "Chicken Zen" movement is all about, Keisha Sedai had this to say: “One day Kitan Sedai came to visit and got stung by a bee. This was her first sting so she was apprehensive about being allergic. I took her to my house and we sat in the back yard watching the chickens and just relaxing. For the most part they are very peaceful to watch as they slowly meander around pecking for grass and insects.” I feel more relaxed already!
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In parting, Keisha Sedai had this to say: “Peace, love and cookies!!” Well played again! On behalf of the Whites I thank you for your continued service, and of course, your cookies.
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<br><br>
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Also in "Discussion", we have Part 2 of Lyara's story about a young girl's journey to the Tower:
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Shaoman was coming to TarValon. Ehvia knew that the Accepted of the Tower were planning some sort of prank and a few of the novices had heard about it, but she wanted NOTHING to do with it. Lilli Sedai had been a very strict MoN, but Winterdawn Sedai was a Yellow and would not tolerate Ehvia participating in any silliness as such a new novice.
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Only two months in the Tower and Ehvia had already been told she was one of the stronger novices they'd found in recent years. Of course, recent for Aes Sedai meant the last 300 years or so. As Ehvia was thinking about this while returning from the MoN's office where she had been firmly reminded with a slipper how to address her teachers, she saw an Accepted walking toward her furtively.
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"You! Novice! Come here!" she commanded in a hushed tone. "Take this note and tuck it under the third door to the left from the end of the hall. Don't let anyone see you, and DON'T even THINK about not doing it!" With that last command, the Accepted turned and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction.
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"Oh no! What have I just gotten myself into," Ehvia sighed. She turned and walked down the hall, counting the doors, and slipped the note under the door she had been told to. Then she turned and walked back to her room.
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The next morning, Ehvia woke to snuffling and snarling outside her tiny door. Peeking out she saw a TROLLOC! It was hideous and wearing an Accepted's dress. "I must be dreaming." Ehvia said to her self. She rubbed her eyes and peeked out again, but the thing was walking down the hall toward the Mistress of Accepted's office. Three more trollocs came out of the room down the hall whose door she had stuffed the note under! All, strangely, in Accepted's dresses.
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Ehvia ran down the hall the opposite way. Thankfully, the MoN had her office on the opposite wing from the MoA. Ehvia had been shunted to this wing simply because of the huge number of recent novices. As she ran through the door to tell the MoN about the Trolloc Accepteds, she saw a HIDEOUS blue Cinderella, all zombie-like and monstrous. Standing next to her was an evil looking Myrdraal who resembled the Mistress of Accepted, Iverin Sedai.
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"OH NO!!!" She cried. "Not the Novices, too!" The Cinderella, who was actually prettier the more Ehvia looked at her, smiled rather wickedly, pointed her hand at Ehvia, and promptly turned her appearance into that of a rather ragged looking gingerbread cookie.
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"Well, now, Ehvia! You look much better as a fairytale, now that you have on your costume. Let's just hope you don't get eaten by the Trollocs."
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Ehvia's face fell.. then she reached down and picked up the frosting eye and put it back on her head.
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"Go out and have some fun, dear. Don't get caught, and be back by midnight. Ta-ta!"
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With that, Ehvia headed to the Faire Grounds to see how much havoc the Accepted Trollocs were wreaking.
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<br><br>
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'''"Freaky Freak Show Facts" by Myralin
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In honor of the White Ajah's Shaoman theme, here is an article about freak shows:
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'''''History'''''
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Freak shows are/were exhibits of strange-looking people, animals, or other objects that were displayed at fairs and circuses. They were most popular from the early 1800s to the mid 1900s. Most of the people displayed were ones who had physical deformities caused by unexplainable disease or horrible injury. Freak shows also included people with extensive body modification, such as extreme tattoos or piercings. Once the medical field developed further and some of these diseases were explained, people pitied the "freaks" rather than being amused by them. However, people today are still entertained by looking at strange humans. Don't believe me? Just open any Ripley's Believe It or Not or Guinness World Records book and you'll find pictures of people with tons of tattoos, a horrifying amount of piercings, or a few extra fingers and toes.
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'''''Famous Freaks'''''
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[[File:WLR 10.12.7.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Carl Herman Unthan- The Armless Musician]]
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Unthan was born without arms but refused to let that stop him from doing everything a normal person can. What a story of perseverance. Now you have no excuse to give up.<br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.8.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Joseph Merrick- The Elephant Man]]
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Merrick suffered from Proteus Syndrome, which causes irregular bone and skin growth, as well as tumors all over the body. He joined a circus in 1884. He later died at the age of 27.<br>
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[[File:WLR 10.12.9.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Myrtle Corbin- The Four-Legged Lady]]
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Corbin was born with two pelvises side by side. The extra legs were part of a twin that did not split properly. She went on to have four daughters and a son.
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[[File:WLR 10.12.10.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Ella Harper- The Camel Girl]]
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A condition known as congenital genu recurvatum caused Harper's knees to bend backward. She earned the name "Camel Girl" because she mostly walked around on all fours.
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[[File:WLR 10.12.11.jpg|200px|thumb|center|The Fiji Mermaid]]
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Not all freak show exhibits were human. This "mermaid" was actually the top half of a monkey skeleton combined with the bottom half of a fish. P.T. Barnum (famous circus owner) himself came up with the idea for this creepy creature. <br>
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<br>
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A meme from Miya:
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[[File:WLR 10.12.12.png|200px|center]]
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Thank you for reading this special election edition of the White Lab Report! Post questions, comments, suggestions, or spam below, or email them to myralin@tarvalon.net. Americans, don't forget to vote for real today!
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<br>
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Thank you to Keisha, Miya, Enya, Lyara, Emerylde, Charis, and Myralin for this month's articles and graphics. Thanks to the rest of the Whites for brainstorming.
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==White Lab Report September 2012==
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'''Editor''': [[Myralin al'Ser]]<br><br>
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<br>
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Time for our next edition of the White Lab Report! This issue brings you some bubble tips from Enya, a yummy recipe from Avendaella, a review of Zombies vs. Unicorns from Myralin, the beginning of a short story from Lyara, along with a new graphics contest and the results from the last one. Feel free to post any comments or questions, or email them to myralin@tarvalon.net. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!
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<br>
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<br>
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This month's recipe is strawberry cake from Aven. Yum!
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<br>
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1 package of cake mix (White or Yellow) -I like using Duncan Hines mixes.
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*1 Package of Strawberry Jello
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*1/2 cup of Fresh Strawberries
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*2/3 cup of Wesson Oil
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*1/4 cup of water
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*4 eggs
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Mix cake mix and Jello add berries then oil. Slowly add the eggs 1 at a time. Mix in rest of ingredients and Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins
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When Cool:
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*1 box of Powdered Sugar
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*1 stick of butter
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*1/2 cup of Strawberries
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Mix and spread on cake.
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*Note this cake has to stay in the pan you cook it in. The icing is thin and will run off the cake if it's not in a pan.
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<br>
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Enya brings us this month's how-to article, with a guide to bubble-making!
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<br>
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Welcome to the first lesson of Bubblemaking!
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Remember how exited you were blowing bubbles as a child? Ever seen someone perform tricks that made you gasp? Well, now's the time to learn for yourself, and maybe it's your turn next to astonish your friends.
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<br>
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The first step to make fancy, fun Bubbles, is to have a good bubble solution and equipment. You can find some good ones in the store, but the best one is the one you make yourself.
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You'll need:
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*3/4 tablespoon Glycerine (attainable at a drugstore)
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*1 cup Dishwashing soap
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*12 cups Water
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Stir gently together, try to make no foam. For best effect, let it stand in an open container over night. After you get some experience, you might wanna experiment a bit on your own. Try changing the mix, or adding something sugary.
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<br>
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While your solution settles, lets see on that other equipment. You'll need one or several bubble wands. The best is to make them yourself, for instance with pipe cleaners or wire wrapped with yarn. They can have any form or size, as long as they form a closed loop. Or you could try making one of these.The best wands are those who can hold a lot of soap water. Other things that may come in handy is straws, a bowl, water based paint, markers, a towel and something sharp.
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<br>
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Now you should be ready to make a lot of cool bubbles. The next lesson will be about basic bubble tricks. In the mean time, you should try out your equipment. How big bubbles can you make? Can you make strangely shaped ones? Can you beat the records?
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<br>
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<br>
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White Ajah announcements:
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Be sure to wish our September babies a happy birthday!
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September:
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*9- Dovienya el'Korim
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*10- Arelai Seiklan
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*10- Isarma Maracanda
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*23- Natalya Laragan
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*28- Locus Sarania
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Congratulations to Lyara and Kelgan, recently bonded in the Light!<br>
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Our next open White chat will be held September 8-9 (Saturday and Sunday). Please join us in #whitechat if you're able!<br>
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[[File:WLR_9.12.1.png|left|Congratulations, and here's some sig bling]]
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This month, our Bubble Award goes to the Gray Ajah! Ladies, we would like to thank you for honoring us with the Golden Keyboard Award for the Spammiest Ajah, and for being such good sports about it.  Feel free to help us spam up this thread!
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Congratulations, and here's some sig bling!<br>
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<br>
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<br>
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This month in our Discussion section, we have Part 1 of a short story by Lyara, about a young girl's journey to the Tower.
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Ever since she was a little girl in Andor, Ehvia had dreamt of being trained by the White Tower, just like the Queen. She really wanted to become Aes Sedai, but just going to the White Tower would be amazing. That dream was coming true today.
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Ehvia stood outside the gates, staring up at the pinnacle of the Tower, wondering how long it would take to walk up all the stairs there must be in there to get to that high point.
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"Is there something I can do for you, young lass?" asked the guard, who was standing at attention near the gate, but still able to see everything going on around him.
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"I'm going to the White Tower to present myself for testing to see if I can become and Aes Sedai!" blurted Ehvia, then blushed furiously at her inability to hold her tongue.
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Laughing, the guard guestured her through, and patted her kindly on the shoulder.
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Ehvia hiked her sack onto her shoulder better, straightened out her spine, tossed back her hair(only catching a little strand or two in her mouth and coughing) and marched toward the doors of the White Tower.
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As she entered the Tower, she could see several people walking around or sitting in the foyer. "Petitioners to the Amyrlin" she thought to herself.
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Looking around, she spotted a small group of women walking toward her. Two of the three were wearing extraordinarily beautiful white dresses, and the third was wearing what looked like riding breeches and a sleeveless shirt, but all three were wearing shawls with White fringe. Two of them were being followed by men in cloaks that seemed to shift and avert her gaze. Ehvia's eyes grew wider and wider as the trio got closer until she was sure they would pop right out of her head! Then the woman in the breeches looked at her and.........
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Smiled. "Hello, young lady. I am Lyara Sedai. Is there anything that I can do for you? You seem lost. Are you here seeking asylum? We offer asylum to any woman in need. Indeed, several of the people you see in here right now are our guests. Why are your eyes so large? Oh my! Why are you trembling so?"
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Ehvia's knees had started shaking and then her whole body as the Aes Sedai spoke to her. Suddenly she squeaked, dropped into a curtsy so low she thought she'd topple over, and said "Oh dear Creator she's TALKING to me!"
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All three Sedai laughed at the statement, and then one with her beautiful red hair up in an elegant bun helped her to her feet and said, "I am Keisha Sedai. You feel like you may have a spark in you. Have you come to be tested?"
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Immediately, Ehvia considered reconsidering, but saw a look in the eyes of all three ladies that said she had no chance of that. So she said, simply, "Yes"
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"Chalisea!" called the third Aes Sedai. "Come and take this young lady to the Mistress of Novices. I feel we may have a new addition to the Tower's ranks." She smiled kindly at Ehvia as the summoned girl, who was wearing a white dress with bands of color around the hem and sleeves, came toward her and curtsied to all three Aes Sedai.
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"Yes, Aduivas Sedai. I'll take her right away." Chalisea said, then she turned and looked at Ehvia . "You'll want to follow me, and don't stray. You could easily get lost in these halls."
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The next door they stopped at was non-descript, and Ehvia wondered if she'd be there much more often. Then it opened, and a woman said
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"I am Lillian Sedai, Mistress of Novices. Welcome to TarValon."<br>
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<br>
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<br>
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This month's review is of Zombies vs. Unicorns.
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Have you ever been sitting around, bored, and started wondering who would win in fights? Batman vs. Superman, Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones, ZOMBIES VS. UNICORNS? Well, some people have. And they decided to write a book about it.
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Zombies vs. Unicorns is a collection of short stories written by a variety of authors who have ultimately decided to be either Team Unicorn or Team Zombie. Each short story focuses on one of the fantasy creatures, and the beginning of each is marked with a logo of either a unicorn or a zombie, so you know what you're reading.
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These short stories range from creepy to hilarious, from medieval settings to present day. The writing style and even nature of the mythical creatures varies from author to author. I highly recommend it for any fantasy fans. <br>
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<br>
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<br>
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Thank you for reading the September White Lab Report! We appreciate our hard work being enjoyed. Remember to enter our caption contest and to join us in #whitechat next week. Questions and comments can be posted below or sent to myralin@tarvalon.net. Thanks again for reading, and be back next month!
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<br>
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Thank you to Avendaella, Enya, Lyara, and Myralin for this month's articles. Also, thank you to Enya for keeping our graphics updated. And a big thank you to all the other Whites who helped brainstorm for this article!
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==White Lab Report August 2012==
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'''Editor''': [[Myralin al'Ser]]<br><br>
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Welcome to this month's edition of the White Lab Report! It's been a while, so if you don't remember or you're new, the WLR is the White Ajah's monthly report of everything that goes on in our Bubble Lab! This month we're happy to bring you a recipe for Chocolate Bubble Cookies, an interview with the lovely Isarma, a WoT-themed comic contest, a guide to making Aes Sedai shawls, a book review, and some other goodies. Read on and enjoy. <br><br>
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This month's recipe is Chocolate Bubble Cookies! These yummy cookies are filled with Bubble Glue…. I mean marshmallows. <br>
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*2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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*½ teaspoon baking soda
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*1 cup granulated sugar
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*1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
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*2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
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*2 large eggs
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*2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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*12 ounces mini semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
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*8 ounces mini marshmallows, frozen<br>
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Yield: about 3.5 dozen<br>
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1. Preheat oven to 350F. Until you are ready to assemble the cookies just prior to baking, keep the marshmallows in the freezer- otherwise they’ll thaw too rapidly. <br>
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2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside. <br>
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3. Combine sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blind in butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. <br>
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4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and blend at low speed until combined. Batter will be very stiff.<br>
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5. Gather 4 or 5 frozen marshmallows in the palm of your hand and cover them with a heaping tablespoon of dough. Wrap the dough around the marshmallows, completely encasing them and forming a 2-inch-diameter dough ball.<br>
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6. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cool, flat surface.<br>
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For this month's how-to article, Kitan brings us a guide to shawl-making!
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*Disclaimer: information was from the old boards, all compiled in one article by Kitan.
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<br>
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While the books do mention some crucial parts of a shawl - mainly the fringe and Flame - we all have our own interpretations of the shawl, and I like to think each shawl can be as individual as the Sister who wears it. For those who don't know (since this is a public forum), many of our members have their own shawls and a lot of people also wear shawls at our official events.
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(disclaimer: I am, by far, NOT a seamstress. However, I have made 2 shawls, so I believe I have the basics down.  )
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So let's talk about the components of a shawl!<br>
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'''''Shape and Size'''''
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<br>
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Most people I know of on the site, and also myself, envision the Aes Sedai shawl as a triangle. Here are some pictures from the New Spring comic:
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[[File:WLR 8.12.1.jpg|200px|thumb|center|A Red Sister with her shawl (New Spring)]]
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Some people, like the idea of a rectangular shawl, however, first we’ll discuss how to determine the dimensions of a triangle shawl.
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'''''Triangle shawls'''''
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Figuring out the size of a triangle shawl actually takes a bit of math. Remember Pythagorean Theorem from high school? As far as math theorems go it’s pretty easy (heck, I can do it and I am seriously math-challenged), and it’s a GREAT help in figuring out a) how large your shawl should be and b) how much fringe you need (very crucial).
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I, personally, have a very wide arm-span and a long torso. I like my shawls to be at least as long as my armspan, fingertip to fingertip...otherwise I find that the shawl really doesn’t stay on very well. I also like my shawl to be fairly long. I highly recommend measuring your armspan with a measuring tape and using that tape to figure out how long you want your shawl to be before buying your material.
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On the old boards, Adolla Sedai of the Brown Ajah posted a very helpful diagram and formula for determining the size of a shawl (words adapted slightly for clarity):<br>
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"You want the shawl to be as wide as your arm span or a bit longer to wrap around your shoulders. Then look in the mirror and decide how low you want it to hang. Use half the width and the length to figure out the sides using the Pythagorean theorem. A^2 + B^2 = C^2. A= 1/2 the width of the top B= Length down the back C= 1/2 the amount of fringe you need. Get a few extra inches so you have room to mess up.<br><br>
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<br>
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[[File:WLR 8.12.2.jpg|200px|thumb|center|More Detail]]<br>
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 +
The length between point X and point Y is your armspan (or you can just make it 60 inches if you don’t feel like measuring).
 +
 +
The length between points D and Z is the length from the bottom of your neck to the bottom of the shawl (or you can make it 36 inches if you don’t feel like measuring).
 +
 +
Length of segment a = half the distance between points X and Y (or 30 inches, if you’re using 60 inches)
 +
 +
Length of segment b = distance between points D and Z
 +
 +
To find the length of segment c, figure a^2 + b^2 = c^2 (Pythagorean theorem). Solve for c. Double the length of c and that’s how much fringe you need.
 +
 +
Extra is always good. I never fail to mess something up. I tend to cut after I've sewn it down, but then I usually don't have an extra yard.
 +
 +
'''''Rectangle shawls'''''
 +
<br>
 +
 +
Here’s what Madelaine had to say about rectangular shawls:<br>
 +
 +
"Rectangle shawls are easier to do than triangle ones.
 +
 +
When making a Native American dance shawl, I typically use a 60" square of fabric. If I want a rectangle, I use one that is 60" x 45 or 50". I choose a fabric that is of a medium weight that doesn't unravel easily. It should also not have any elastic or stretch to it.
 +
 +
I hem all four sides, using a double-fold hem (fold over 1/2", then again another 1/2"). I then fringe all four sides the same way I would a triangular shawl.
 +
 +
If I was going to make a rectangle Aes Sedai Shawl, I'd choose two lighter weight fabrics and do a lined Shawl. I'd put the Flame a little more than half way down the back of the Shawl and attach the lining. For myself, I'd use a rectangle that's 60" long and 96" wide. I'd fringe both 60" sides and one of the 96" sides, leaving the top 96" side free of fringe. The proportions of the Shawl should match the proportions of the woman wearing it."<br>
 +
 +
'''''Flame'''''
 +
<br>
 +
The Flame of Tar Valon is the most iconic part of a shawl. Drawing a Flame, in my experience, is extremely difficult!
 +
<br>
 +
[[File:WLR 8.12.3.gif|200px|thumb|center|Luckily, the lovely Miriya Sedai of the Brown Ajah created a lovely, lovely illustration on the old boards that perfectly explains the proportions of a Flame of Tar Valon]]
 +
<br>
 +
 +
Madelaine posted about the size of a Flame, and how she attached it to a shawl:<br>
 +
 +
"For a Shawl that's over 40" long, I usually make the Flame at least 9 to 10 inches tall. The size depends on how big the Shawl is - a small Shawl will have a smaller Flame and vice versa.
 +
 +
On many of my Shawls, I fuse the Flame onto the main fabric using fusible webbing. I then sew a narrow trim around the edges. On Sela's Shawl, I made a double-layer Flame and then carefully sewed it by hand onto the Shawl. For a lined Shawl, I always attach the Flame before adding the lining.
 +
 +
On a couple of Shawls, including my own, I fused the Flame to a circle and then fused the whole thing to the Shawl. I added trim around the Flame and around the Circle."
 +
<br>
 +
I tend to make my Flame by printing out a picture of a Flame on a piece of paper as large as it will go, cutting it out, and tracing it onto the fabric I want to use with a sewing marker.
 +
 +
And as I mentioned, I am not a seamstress. So when I attach my Flame I cheat a bit. First I sew the Flame on with white thread, and then I use special sewing glue to attach a lining around the Flame to hide my messy stitching:<br>
 +
[[File:WLR 8.12.4.jpg|200px|thumb|center|That technique has worked pretty well for me]]
 +
<br>
 +
 +
'''''Fringe'''''
 +
<br>
 +
 +
The fringe is one of the most interesting parts of a shawl. Let’s talk about it!
 +
 +
The Wheel of Time books say that an Aes Sedai's fringe is in the color of her Ajah. The New Spring comic also shows the fringe being very long:
 +
 +
[[File:WLR 8.12.1.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Again, a Red Sister with her shawl (New Spring)]]:
 +
<br>
 +
 +
I’ve heard some people on this site say “the longer the fringe, the more pride in your Ajah,” but that’s not an official opinion.
 +
 +
While your fringe can be as long as you like, finding fringe as long as is shown in the New Spring examples can be very difficult! Short fringe (one to four inches) is easy to come by - I can find it at my local fabric store - but long fringe...not so much.
 +
 +
But you can get anything on the internet  Many people and myself get our fringe from a website called Crazy Crow Trading Post. Crazy Crow is an online store that sells Native American products. The fringe is Native American dance shawl fringe, and you can find it in many colors.
 +
 +
You can get 2 types of fringe from Crazy Crow: Chainette and spool.
 +
 +
'''Chainette fringe'''
 +
<br>
 +
[[File:WLR 8.12.6.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Chainette fringe is fringe that’s woven so it’s already a long strip with the fringe hanging down. It comes like this when you order it]]
 +
<br>
 +
 +
Chainette fringe can be sewn right onto the shawl. If your shawl is lined, I highly recommend sewing the fringe to the inside of the shawl before sewing on the lining, so that the woven part is on the inside of the shawl. It looks much tidier that way
 +
 +
Crazy Crow offers two lengths of fringe: 14 inches and 18 inches.
 +
 +
The 14 inch chainette fringe comes in a plethora of colors, while the 18 inch chainette fringe comes in fewer colors. Another site offers chainette fringe, but not as long: http://www.mjtrim.com/fringe/chainette.html<br>
 +
 +
Fringing your shawl with spool fringe is more complicated than using chainette fringe, but spool fringe gives you the freedom to customize exactly how long you want your fringe to be and how dense you want it to be.<br>
 +
 +
'''Spool fringe'''
 +
<br>
 +
Spool fringe, as the name implies, comes on a spool. It’s basically high-quality string. You can hand-cut it to whatever length you want and hand-fringe your shawl with it.
 +
 +
[[File:WLR 8.12.7.jpg|200px|thumb|center|Here’s an example of how spool fringe comes when you order it (picture courtesy of Crazy Crow)]]
 +
<br>
 +
 +
Madelaine Sedai of the Brown Ajah posted a very simple method of how to hand-fringe a shawl on the old forums, which I’m saving here for posterity. I’ve adapted this description from 2 separate posts that she made about the technique. You’ll need your shawl, some spool fringe, a sharp metal yarn needle, and possibly a pair of pliers:
 +
<br>
 +
"I normally get the regular fringe, not the newer flat kind {chainette}. The spools are $18 - but you can normally get at least 2 shawls out of that, if not more. <br>
 +
 +
I learned the technique for attaching the strands from a Native American elder from a reservation near where I live. She passed away quite a few years ago, but her teachings will remain with me forever. <br>
 +
 +
Here's the basic technique:
 +
<br>
 +
Make sure the shawl edges have been hemmed and pressed flat. Work with the outer surface of the shawl on top.
 +
<br>
 +
Figure out how many strands you want in each spot and how far apart each spot is. I generally put the strands half an inch apart and use two strands at each spot.
 +
<br>
 +
Cut your fringe strands to TWICE the desired finished length plus 1 inch. If you want your finished fringe to be 12 inches long, you need to cut 25 inch long fringe strands.
 +
<br>
 +
Cut all the strands you will need plus 10 more before you start adding them to the shawl. To keep them from getting tangled, I use a lark's head knot to attach them to the bottom bar of one of those rounded plastic hangers.
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
 +
 +
1) Take two strands of fringe and fold them in half.
 +
<br>
 +
2) Holding the free ends of the two folded strands, put all four of the free ends through the eye of the metal yarn needle. Pull them through the eye of the needle until you have about 3 inches of loop on one side of the eye.
 +
<br>
 +
3) Pierce the hem of the Shawl with the needle about ¼ inch to ½ inch from the edge of the Shawl. Go from bottom (lining) to the top.
 +
<br>
 +
4) Pull the needle through until the eye comes through to the other side the fabric along with the two loops of fringe. If needed, use the pliers to grip the needle to force the eye through the layers of fabric. Wiggling the needle around in a circle and then pulling sometimes helps with this process.
 +
<br>
 +
5) Remove the needle from the loops of the fringe.
 +
<br>
 +
6) Bring the four free ends of the fringe up and through the loops. Enter the loops from the side closest to the Shawl fabric. Pull tight until the loop rests right up against the bottom edge of the shawl. This is a lark's head knot.
 +
<br>
 +
7) Using the four free ends, tie a simple overhand knot directly underneath the spot where the loop is holding the strands. This secures the fringe and helps keep the strands from working their way free of the loop. You may also add beads or work the strands like macrame.
 +
<br>
 +
8) Repeat Steps 1 through 7 at each spot until the entire shawl is fringed.
 +
<br>
 +
This method works best if you want a 6" or longer fringe. In my area, it is commonly used to make women&#39;s dance shawls for Native American pow-wows. I have a dance shawl I made over 10 years ago and the fringe still looks great despite having gone through quite a bit of vigorous dancing."
 +
<br>
 +
By the way, Madelaine makes hand-fringing a shawl sound very easy. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds (at least, not for me, anyway  )...it does require a lot of patience. Or at least it does for me.  Madelaine did mention that she would watch TV while she hand-fringed shawls, which is something she couldn’t do while sewing.
 +
<br>
 +
Crazy Crow sells spool fringe in many colors.<br>
 +
Some people like attaching beads to their fringe. While you can get beads at just about any craft store, Adra Sedai of the Green Ajah is a beader and she swears by Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. Search for Aurora Borealis beads if you want something super shiny and sparkly!
 +
<br>
 +
Other fringe options (also posted by Madelaine on the old forums):
 +
<br>
 +
"I've seen Native American dance shawls hand-fringed using thin ribbons or yarn. Both have a very unique appearance. I prefer to use the chainette because it "sways" better than yarn and is much less expensive than ribbon.
 +
<br>
 +
All you need to do a hand-fringe is a sufficient quantity of any material that is thin yet sturdy enough to be knotted.
 +
<br>
 +
Another method of fringing a Shawl would be to make the Shawl about a foot bigger all around than you want it to be, then cut the foot border into strips and knot the strips. I&#39;ve seen this done on fleece blankets. Not sure how it would look on a Shawl, but is a possibility."
 +
<br>
 +
How much fringe do I need?<br>
 +
Again, from Madelaine:<br>
 +
 +
'''Ready-To-Sew Fringe'''
 +
<br>
 +
"The average Shawl is usually at least 36 to 50 inches long at the point. Each of the diagonal sides will be slightly longer than this center length. A small Shawl might need only 2 yd of fringe while a larger Shawl may need up to 4 yd.
 +
<br>
 +
For the math-inclined, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to figure out the exact length - just keep in mind that most places only sell the fringe in whole-yard increments."
 +
<br>
 +
'''Hand-Tied Fringe'''
 +
<br>
 +
"This method uses single-strand chainette wound into large spools. The yardage on a spool averages about 750 to 800 yd - sometimes up to 1500 yd. I can usually get at least 4 large Shawls out of a single spool where the fringe is double strands at least 14" long spaced about half an inch apart."
 +
<br>
 +
So there’s some Aes Sedai shawl-making methods! Please feel free to share whatever you find useful and ask questions.
 +
<br>
 +
Happy Sewing!
 +
<br>
 +
<br>
 +
White Ajah Announcements:
 +
 +
Be sure to wish our August and September babies a happy birthday!<br>
 +
August:<br>
 +
*4- Xaviara Al'Nady<br>
 +
*5- Charis Delphi<br>
 +
*6- Chalisea Ridgedawn<br>
 +
*20- Kaileena Admar<br>
 +
*21- Aldazar Tiarana<br>
 +
September:<br>
 +
*9- Dovienya el'Korim<br>
 +
*10- Arelai Seiklan<br>
 +
*10- Isarma Maracanda<br>
 +
*23- Natalya Laragan<br>
 +
*28- Locus Sarania<br>
 +
<br><br>
 +
Lyra came to guest with us starting July 9. Welcome, Lyra!
 +
<br>
 +
We would also like to celebrate our two newest aspirants, Chalisea and Charis. Welcome to the family, ladies!
 +
<br>
 +
Congratulations Satara and Myralin, our newest White Sisters!
 +
<br>
 +
Laralelle and Locus were recently bonded in the Light. Congratulations, you two!
 +
<br>
 +
Congratulations to Kitan and Aidan, who both happen to be getting married on August 11!
 +
<br>
 +
Congratulations to Amara, who has recently gotten engaged!
 +
<br>
 +
July brought us a complete change in leadership. Our new top dogs are:<br>
 +
Head- Keisha al'Benn<br>
 +
Heart- Kitan Tataru<br>
 +
Sitters- Andra Mikolan and Emerylde nÍ Róhan<br>
 +
Soul- Chalisea Ridgedawn <br>
 +
<br>
 +
Congratulations everyone! Also, thank you to Isarma, Enya, Keisha, Aduiavas, and Satara who served before them. 
 +
<br>
 +
Our next open White chat will be held on August 8-9! Our last one was such a success, we are working on making open chats a regular feature. Please join us in #whitechat on those days if you are able!
 +
 +
== White Lab Report June 2009 ==
 +
 +
'''Editor''':  [[Keisha al'Benn]]<br><br>
 +
 +
First of all we would like to wish our own Rikka al'Vorik a safe journey with the Army for the next few months.  She will be taking a leadership course and holding some instruction classes for Basic Training.  Thank you for your dedication to our Country Rikka! <br>
 +
 +
A very Happy Birthday to Ilenna and Amara this month and a warm welcome home to our newest White Sister Elin al'Nia!  I had the opportunity to meet Elin last month as she was traveling around the south western states.  She is a wonderful lady and we are all glad to have her as a Sister! <br>
 +
 +
This month we have decided to give two Bubble Awards. Rehtaeh al'Navi and Magdalenna t'Zai have been Heads of the White and Gray Ajah for several years now.  They have both done a fantastic job and will be missed.  Thanks for all of your hard work ladies! <br>
 +
 +
We opened up the Bubble Experiments to the general population this month and had a surprising amount of participation.  Ghaul produced a radioactive Mushroom Cloud Bubble and Thalin experimented with Purple Bubbles which have now been confiscated due to the tendency to resemble Compulsion.  I think the best bubble was produced by Mashiara.  She brewed a Silver Bubble that made ones skin glow and sparks fly from the hair, caused things around us to freeze, and even made one subject grow quite large for awhile.  As usual, all the effects were temporary and everyone is back to....well not normal because we couldn't make a Normal Bubble....back to business as usual. <br>
 +
 +
In honor of all the bubbles, our shoe for the month is a Bubble Shoe!! <br><br>
 +
 +
A big thanks to Natalya Laragan for her research into Real Life Bubbles:<br>
 +
 +
'''The perfect bubbles!''' <br>
 +
''by Natalya Sedai''<br>
 +
 +
Soap bubble is made of a very thin film of soap water that forms a sphere around air that is trapped inside the soapy film. Everybody has seen them, everybody has blown them, but what is the science behind the bubbles? <br>
 +
 +
Some think that soap added to the water makes the water's surface tension stronger to keep the bubble together. Actually, the opposite is true. Soap added to water decreases water's surface tension, and stabilizes the bubble (through an action called the Marangoni effect). If you want even longer lasting bubbles, try adding a bit of glycerin to the water. It reduces the evaporation of water from the bubble. <br>
 +
 +
Bubble is round because a sphere has the smallest surface amount for a given volume - which means the bubbles that make us happy are also physical illustrations of the minimal surface problem, which is a fairly complex mathematical problem. <br>
 +
 +
White light is made up of all colors, all wavelengths. It is separated into colors as is reflects from the two surfaces of the thin soap film. If one of these colors is subtracted from white light, we see the complementary color. For example, if blue light is subtracted from white light, we see yellow. The skin of a bubble glistens with these complementary colors. <br>
 +
 +
The Whites never get bored at playing with the bubbles. Looking at them calms you down, and makes you happy. Look at them: they are iridescent and fragile and perfect and they float in the air! If you want to make people smile, just take a bit of bubble solution with you, go to a public place and start blowing the bubbles. Spread the bubbly joy! <br><br>
 +
 +
''Read more about the bubbles:'' <br>
 +
 +
[http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/bubbles/bubbles.html Bubbles! By Ron Hipschman] <br><br>
 +
 +
For your own bubbly fun, try this: <br>
 +
 +
''The Exploratorium Bubble Recipe:'' <br>
 +
 +
Here at the Exploratorium, we've found the bubble formula below to work fairly well in our exhibits.<br>
 +
 +
* 2/3 cup Joy dishwashing soap<br>
 +
* 1 gallon water<br>
 +
* 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerine (available at the pharmacy or chemical supply house.)
 +
 +
 +
 +
== White Lab Report May 2009 ==
 +
 +
'''Editor''':  Keisha al'Benn<br><br>
 +
 +
Our congratulations go out to our April Birthday Girls:  Em, Elin, Keisha, Lyssandra and Eilidh and our May Birthday Girls:  Antarai, Rehtaeh, Sienna and Melaine <br>
 +
Several of our members are going to be celebrating a landmark birthday this year and we have all decided that ''"Fourty is the new Thirty!"'' <br>
 +
 +
We are pleased to welcome Hilwa Katir and Selenia Soandor as our newest guests <br>
 +
 +
Our dear sister Xaviara Sedai has just recently undergone serious surgery....please keep her convalescence in your thoughts/prayers. <br>
 +
 +
Panda Shoe provided by Natalya Sedai....totally cute and casual! <br>
 +
 +
The wonderful Thalin Gaidin has been awarded our illustrious Bubble Award!  He has been a more than willing participant in our Bubble Experimentation and has recently been promoted to Gaidin....Congratulations Thalin!! <br>
 +
 +
Speaking of Bubble Experiments, our Bronze Bubble was a huge success.  It was a warm, happy brew with fun side effects including breathing fire and growing dragon wings and kitty tails! <br><br>
 +
 +
Lyara recently interviewed the lovely Ilissa and here is what she had to say about being the Online Events Coordinator:<br>
 +
 +
'''1. What brought you to TarValon in the first place and how long have you been here?''' <br>
 +
 +
I came upon TarValon.Net while doing a search on Lanfear; I was trying to figure out something-or-other about her relationship to Lews Therin. I came upon the Library first and then started browsing around. The community caught my interest, I joined, and here I am! My join date is the 14th of December 2004, so I've been here for just over 4 years now. <br>
 +
 +
'''2. Were there any festivals celebrated when you first joined?''' <br>
 +
 +
What we now call Feast of Lights (I don't remember if it had any name back then or if it was just called 'freeweek') was due to begin a good week or so after I joined, but people had already started altering their avatars and so on.<br>
 +
 +
'''3. Why did you decide to take up the position of OEC?''' <br>
 +
 +
Kariada Sedai, the then Director of Membership Services (as that Dept was called before it was split up into RL Services and Community Development) contacted me and asked me to reply. I complied and got the job .<br>
 +
 +
'''4. What was the greatest thing about being OEC?''' <br>
 +
 +
Seeing members enjoy themselves in the forum and knowing that I and my team were a big part of making that possible!<br>
 +
 +
'''5. What was the worst thing?''' <br>
 +
 +
Updating the calendar before we got the calendar we have now!  Seriously, what a chore! Other than that, the worst I can remember is the nitpicky work of sending out the Bel Tine baskets last year until we got it properly automated. Repetitive tasks suck!<br>
 +
 +
'''6. What advice do you have for the new OEC?''' <br>
 +
 +
Start your planning early!<br>
 +
 +
'''7. How different is the site now compared to when you joined as far as festivals go?''' <br>
 +
 +
The most noticeable difference is probably that we now have the Faire Ground forum, which opens for every festival. When I joined the threads pertaining to the Festival were everywhere, which both made it harder to maneuver for those wanting to participate and harder to ignore for those who just aren't interested. I think it's a good change ^^.
 +
 +
 +
 +
== White Lab Report March 2009 ==
 +
 +
'''Editor''':  Keisha al'Benn<br><br>
 +
 +
Welcome to our Anni Edition White Lab Report! We had ''Eight'' brave White Sisters that attended the festivities this year, including a few from across the pond.<br>
 +
 +
We would like to congratulate our lovely sister ''Aeryth Sedai'' on her recent marriage....may the happy couple live long and prosper!!<br>
 +
 +
We have had a plethora of new Sisters in the past few weeks....please congratulate ''Dovienya Sedai'', ''Isarma Sedai'' and ''Enya Sedai''. ''Kaileena'' and ''Morwynna'' have joined us as our newest Aspirant Accepted and our current guests include ''Vallen, Dwynwen, Nyavene, Dorissa, and Niere''.<br><br>
 +
 +
We had to have a special '''Anni Bubble''' for this month. We choose the Mossy Bubble. It is dark green, soft and fuzzy and first hand observations indicate chilliness, dampness and shivering.  More testing revealed uncontrollable dancing in conjunction with the loss of pants and spontaneous rain falling directly on the test subject.  For those who suffered from PPD we provided a Pink Bubble which produced feelings of warm, fuzzy, lovey-ness.<br>
 +
 +
The '''Shoe of the Month''' was found on the beautiful Cinderella foot of ''Kitiarah Sedai'', newly raised to the Gray Ajah. Congratulations Sister and thanks for the fabulous footwear!<br>
 +
 +
Our '''Bubble Award''' this month goes to ''Serinia Sedai'' and her Clipboard Ter'Angreal of Organization. She is our wonderful Mistress of Revels and she can pull together a live event like no one's business!!<br><br>
 +
 +
'''Anni quotes:'''<br>
 +
 +
"Meanwhile, back in the White Ajah Chambers, we eagerly awaited news of the live Raising of Enya..."--''Rehtaeh''<br>
 +
 +
"Whites can find bubbles anywhere!"--''Andra''<br>
 +
 +
"Nat has a tendency to speak Finnish to everybody when tired enough"--''Everyone''<br><br>
 +
 +
'''And the White Adventures at Anni Reported by Andra Sedai''':<br>
 +
 +
For the first time in years, EIGHT members of the White Ajah were able to make it to an Official Event. There's a weird kind of symmetry in the fact that there were eight of us at the eighth Anniversary Party.<br>
 +
 +
On Thursday, Natalya and Andra Sedai flew into Seattle to check out the city. We met Zhareen in the airport, procured transportation, and were on our way. First order of business was to find IKEA. You see, they have these yummy Swedish Meatballs... plus bedding and supplies for cheap! Three and a half hours later, we exited the most amazing and logical store ever weighed down with bedding, snacks, and beverages to stock our cabin. Then we headed to the hotel to drop everything off and take a break. Natalya ran into Vivianna, Riley and Taika in the lobby while checking a few things on the internet. Plans were discussed, but we continued on our separate ways. The three Whites went in search of food and the Space Needle with the help of Zhareen's little electronic friend Stewie the GPS (He has quite the temper when you go the wrong way). The area around the Needle was strangely deserted, but we found a little bistro, and Starbucks (of course). Then up into the sky we went. It was beautiful, fascinating, and COLD. Back at the hotel, we waited up for Keisha Sedai who survived many trials and tribulations on her travels and immediately went to sleep.<br>
 +
 +
Friday morning, the four of us journeyed to Pike's Place Market to see the flying fish. Though we missed the fish :(, we found Noura! We went to a little restaurant with a spectacular view of the port for lunch then went exploring in the Public Market. There was beautiful produce and locally created arts and crafts. Then came time to journey to the site of Anni Party in a campground outside Olympia Washington.<br>
 +
 +
The eight Whites trickled in, dealing with Rush hour traffic and getting lost in the campground in the dark. Andra, Natalya, Zhareen, Keisha, Noura, Aidan and Enya all met, and huggled and settled into The Cold Logic Creamery, where we quickly turned up the heat and created a toasty haven for the Ice Sedai of the White Ajah. Lyssandra was housed in a separate cabin with her own bottom bunk. On our first night we had our welcomes and enjoyed the Olde Warder and Hen tavern atmosphere. The food was amazing, and we all fell into talking as if this wasn't the first time we'd all been together. We'd known each other for years and our conversations reflected that.<br>
 +
 +
The campsite was beautiful, with lovely trees and bridges over marshes to the various clusters of cabins. Once the sun went down however, it was pitch dark between the main lodge and the cabins. The quest for light became a running joke. At one point Zhareen used her camera flash in order to find the path and the bridge to our cabin. The sky was concealed by clouds and a light mist began falling late into the night as people spread out to their individual cabins and tried to get some sleep.<br>
 +
 +
Saturday dawned cold and wet. It wasn’t actively raining, but it had overnight so the ground was pleasantly squishy.  The Whites journeyed out into the cold in search of coffee and quiche for breakfast. It was a calm morning, so several of us brought out our knitting and crochet as we chatted and got to know the other members of the Tower who had come. An expedition was made to the local Target where the logical Whites obtained flashlights and glowing necklaces for the bridges so that no one would get lost in the dark again. The Amyrlin’s tournament began with horseshoes, then a footrace that was more of an obstacle course which all those who participated managed to navigate with success. Then came the ever popular swordfighting  event, which drew the largest crowd of any event and even caught the interest of the park ranger who had come to check on us. There was much cheering and amusement as all competitors acquitted themselves well. The Whites were in full attendance and Enya our ickle Accepted was blowing bubbles for all to enjoy. The afternoon brought the revival of ‘Story-time’ from past years. The tradition of finding a ridiculous romance novel and sharing the hilarious bits has gone on for three years now. This year was no exception. ‘The Very Virile Viking’ brought much hilarity to the main lodge as the lovely Viv read of ‘trees… with… a branch…’ Though it could not surpass last year’s ‘yonia and pansy dust’. I’m not sure if any book can manage that.<br>
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The evening brought about the Official Ceremonies, the Costume contest, and the Da’covale Auction. Most importantly, at least for our Ajah, the wonderful Enya was Raised to Aes Sedai, and from the stunned expression on her face when Andra Sedai  Summoned her, she had No Idea. This proves of course that even when practically bursting from excitement, Whites are plotsy enough to keep a secret. Draping a shawl across Enya’s shoulders, and enveloping her in a White Bubble hug, we welcomed our Sister home.<br>
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Noura Sedai entered the costume contest as a perfectly fabulous Seanchan Empress, complete with the entourage of a member of the Lower Blood (Aidan Sedai), A sul’dam (Zhareen Sedai) and a damane (Keisha Sedai) and a Truth Speaker (Newly Raised Accepted Dorissa). Lyssandra Sedai also entered the contest with a lovely red and white gown, but Noura won the votes for sheer WOW factor, and she deserved it! Our very own Natalya Sedai offered herself up as a Damane. As an ajah, we snapped her up with some debate, as she was in much demand, being so talented and generally wonderful. That said, the best we could do as a task for her was to give temporary tattoos to anyone and everyone that wanted one, so they were properly decorated for the festivities.<br>
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That night Seven Full Sisters of the White Ajah walked together across the cold and frosty ground to their cabin, and we looked up, and saw a huge expanse of stars through the trees. The Seven Aes Sedai found the Seven Sisters in the sky as we stood and shivered, gazing in awe until our shivers got the best of us and we really were Ice Sedai.<br>
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Sunday was a drizzly day and many stayed in bed recovering, or like many of us Whites, camped out in the main lodge to mingle and craft. The Tar Valon CCG tournament took place, but mostly Sunday was a cozy day as we all reveled in this chance to get to know each other better. Noura and Lyssandra had to say their goodbyes before lunch, and we knew it was the beginning of the end of this holiday. Andra, Natalya and Zhareen took over the kitchen with Riley to prepare dinner and got it done in record time. Meaning, we actually managed to serve it on schedule. It was a blast being able to hang out in a kitchen with my sisters. It was a long evening, because we didn’t want it to end, despite the fact that we as an ajah had kitchen duty early in the morning. In the cabin, there were snippets of the Viral (as Natalya labeled him) Viking shared until we finally turned out the lights and napped.<br>
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The cabin was up and cleared out early and then we attacked the kitchen with a vengeance! By the time we left, that place was sparking! Then came the IHOP breakfast and the final leavetakings. Tears were shed, many hugs were given. We had to send our dear Baby White home with a Blue who later threatened not to give her back! We did get her back though, safe and sound.<br>
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It was a fabulous Anni Party, and even I who is something of a veteran now, will never forget it. No Tower Party is ever the same, and this one trumps them all. The greatest reason for this is of course, how many of us were in attendance, and how we just… fit into each others lives. Thank you My Sisters for an amazing experience.<br>
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~'''Interview by Elin al'Nia'''
  
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<< Back to White Ajah Community Page

White Lab Report December 2012/January 2013

Editor: Myralin al'Ser

White Lab Report October/November 2012

Editor: Myralin al'Ser

WLR 10.12.1.jpg
In honor of this month's United States presidential election, the White Ajah is proud to present to you this Special Election Edition of the White Lab Report! Read our candidates' platforms below and choose your favorite! Winners will be announced once all the results are in.

WLR 10.12.2.jpg

Nynaeve al'Meara
Health care for all! I vow to find a cure for everything, including being dead for three days. I will work tirelessly to ensure all health care professionals are skilled in the latest techniques and are willing to go into the streets to help the sick and starving children. I guarantee to find a cure for insanity, madness, and yes, even stupidity!!

WLR 10.12.3.jpg

Semirhage
No good deed will go unpunished! I promise to spread the pain thickly and evenly throughout the land. No child will be left behind when it is time for dealing out agony. Torture will become commonplace and there will be plenty for all!

WLR 10.12.4.jpg

Mat Cauthon
Defeating the Dark One & returning Randland to the good old days it used to enjoy will take a lot more than all the heroes of our age and your run of the mill luck -so why settle? Vote for the man who can bring you all the heroes of this age and all the ages before! Vote for the man whose luck almost never fails! VOTE MAT!

  • Platforms written by candidates' campaign managers Keisha and Miya.


Here is a delicious recipe for oatmeal cookies from Emerylde.

  • Go to grocery store.
  • Buy package of Oatmeal Cookie Mix.
  • Per the directions, add egg and softened butter/margarine.
  • Dollop onto cookie sheet and bake for the recommended amount of time.
  • Really. The recommended amount of time is perfect.
  • Take cookies out of oven.
  • Eat them.
  • If you like raisins, add them to the mix before you bake the cookies



Here is a how-to article from Enya with more bubble tips!

Bubbles in all shapes and sizes.


WLR 10.12.6.jpg

I assume most of the people who read this have blown bubbles of some kind. In this lesson, we're going to blow tiny and huge bubbles, and a special bubble. Now, tiny bubbles are quite simple; just use your straw. Or, dip a small wand in the solution and blow with the straw. This concentrates your air stream and you get small bubbles. The huge bubbles are rather simple too, once you know how. You can quite simply make some about the size of a beach ball by using a bit of string and a couple of straws. Cut the straw in two, thread onto about an arms length of string and knot into a circle. Take hold of each of the string pieces, dip into the solution and slowly take it out. Spread your hands and drag through the air. Simple. Wanna make even bigger bubbles? Well, use the advanced wand!


The Square Bubble

Now, bring out a wand you can bend. What will happen if you bend it into a square before you blow your bubble?
It is still round! This is because a nice little thing called surface tension. This is the same thing that lets insects walk on water, or let you fill your glass overfull without it spilling. Now, because of this tension, the shape of the bubble will take the form where the surface is the smallest possible with the given amount of air inside it. And that shape is a sphere.
Now, it is actually possible to make a cube bubble; you just need to know how. You'll need a straw and a small-ish wand, to hand your bubble creation from. Start blowing on the bubble to hang from your wand, then 5 more of roughly the same size. They are to form a cluster of six bubbles. Now, look carefully into the middle. See the flat square? Make sure your straw is all wet with no bubble film at the tip, gently insert into the middle of the cluster and blow gently. Your bubble should now look something like this:

WLR 10.12.5.jpg

By the same principle, you can make bubbles in shape of any of the Platonic solids. Isn't that neat?
October birthdays:

  • Arelwen- 10
  • Torval- 13
  • Zhareen- 28

November birthdays:

  • Aeryth-7th
  • Thalin-10th
  • Alene-18th
  • Bridonna-19th
  • Miya-26th

Congratulations to our new Soul, Charis, and thank you to Chalisea for all her hard work!
This issue's interview is of the lovely Keisha Sedai by Charis:
This July we said goodbye to our outgoing First Reasoner, and welcome Keisha al'Benn into the position. Keisha Sedai joined the site in January 2006 and joined the tower in February of that same year. She was raised to the White in January of 2007. She has been bonded to Ivanor Winshaw of DM since March 2011, and the two have won the Member's Choice Award for best bonded couple of 2012. Keisha Sedai also serves on the Department of Community Outreach, and has previously been a Sitter for the Whites, and a previous editor of the White Lab Report. She is currently the mentor of Kassina Tendar. I took the time to ask Keisha Sedai a few questions.

Keisha Sedai applied for the position of First Reasoner because she wanted to give back to the site that has given so much to her. She says she “started with Sitter to 'get my feet wet' and then felt I was ready to move on to something more ambitious.” She also states she "loves, loves" her White sisters and is “so proud to serve them!”. Her least favorite part is learning all the “mod stuff” as she is “not very computer language literate”. Her favorite part is “everything else!!”

Her favorite color is “Blue and lately purple”, book is “Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin”. She has “3 cats, 1 dog, 6 chickens, and fish”, as well as her son and five step-children. When asked to describe her favorite pair of shoes, she responded “I can't; I have about 25 pairs and they are each my favorite when I am wearing them!” Well played.

For those wondering what the "Chicken Zen" movement is all about, Keisha Sedai had this to say: “One day Kitan Sedai came to visit and got stung by a bee. This was her first sting so she was apprehensive about being allergic. I took her to my house and we sat in the back yard watching the chickens and just relaxing. For the most part they are very peaceful to watch as they slowly meander around pecking for grass and insects.” I feel more relaxed already!

In parting, Keisha Sedai had this to say: “Peace, love and cookies!!” Well played again! On behalf of the Whites I thank you for your continued service, and of course, your cookies.

Also in "Discussion", we have Part 2 of Lyara's story about a young girl's journey to the Tower:

Shaoman was coming to TarValon. Ehvia knew that the Accepted of the Tower were planning some sort of prank and a few of the novices had heard about it, but she wanted NOTHING to do with it. Lilli Sedai had been a very strict MoN, but Winterdawn Sedai was a Yellow and would not tolerate Ehvia participating in any silliness as such a new novice.

Only two months in the Tower and Ehvia had already been told she was one of the stronger novices they'd found in recent years. Of course, recent for Aes Sedai meant the last 300 years or so. As Ehvia was thinking about this while returning from the MoN's office where she had been firmly reminded with a slipper how to address her teachers, she saw an Accepted walking toward her furtively.

"You! Novice! Come here!" she commanded in a hushed tone. "Take this note and tuck it under the third door to the left from the end of the hall. Don't let anyone see you, and DON'T even THINK about not doing it!" With that last command, the Accepted turned and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction.

"Oh no! What have I just gotten myself into," Ehvia sighed. She turned and walked down the hall, counting the doors, and slipped the note under the door she had been told to. Then she turned and walked back to her room. The next morning, Ehvia woke to snuffling and snarling outside her tiny door. Peeking out she saw a TROLLOC! It was hideous and wearing an Accepted's dress. "I must be dreaming." Ehvia said to her self. She rubbed her eyes and peeked out again, but the thing was walking down the hall toward the Mistress of Accepted's office. Three more trollocs came out of the room down the hall whose door she had stuffed the note under! All, strangely, in Accepted's dresses.

Ehvia ran down the hall the opposite way. Thankfully, the MoN had her office on the opposite wing from the MoA. Ehvia had been shunted to this wing simply because of the huge number of recent novices. As she ran through the door to tell the MoN about the Trolloc Accepteds, she saw a HIDEOUS blue Cinderella, all zombie-like and monstrous. Standing next to her was an evil looking Myrdraal who resembled the Mistress of Accepted, Iverin Sedai.

"OH NO!!!" She cried. "Not the Novices, too!" The Cinderella, who was actually prettier the more Ehvia looked at her, smiled rather wickedly, pointed her hand at Ehvia, and promptly turned her appearance into that of a rather ragged looking gingerbread cookie.

"Well, now, Ehvia! You look much better as a fairytale, now that you have on your costume. Let's just hope you don't get eaten by the Trollocs."

Ehvia's face fell.. then she reached down and picked up the frosting eye and put it back on her head.

"Go out and have some fun, dear. Don't get caught, and be back by midnight. Ta-ta!"

With that, Ehvia headed to the Faire Grounds to see how much havoc the Accepted Trollocs were wreaking.

"Freaky Freak Show Facts" by Myralin

In honor of the White Ajah's Shaoman theme, here is an article about freak shows:

History

Freak shows are/were exhibits of strange-looking people, animals, or other objects that were displayed at fairs and circuses. They were most popular from the early 1800s to the mid 1900s. Most of the people displayed were ones who had physical deformities caused by unexplainable disease or horrible injury. Freak shows also included people with extensive body modification, such as extreme tattoos or piercings. Once the medical field developed further and some of these diseases were explained, people pitied the "freaks" rather than being amused by them. However, people today are still entertained by looking at strange humans. Don't believe me? Just open any Ripley's Believe It or Not or Guinness World Records book and you'll find pictures of people with tons of tattoos, a horrifying amount of piercings, or a few extra fingers and toes.

Famous Freaks

Carl Herman Unthan- The Armless Musician

Unthan was born without arms but refused to let that stop him from doing everything a normal person can. What a story of perseverance. Now you have no excuse to give up.

Joseph Merrick- The Elephant Man

Merrick suffered from Proteus Syndrome, which causes irregular bone and skin growth, as well as tumors all over the body. He joined a circus in 1884. He later died at the age of 27.

Myrtle Corbin- The Four-Legged Lady

Corbin was born with two pelvises side by side. The extra legs were part of a twin that did not split properly. She went on to have four daughters and a son.

Ella Harper- The Camel Girl

A condition known as congenital genu recurvatum caused Harper's knees to bend backward. She earned the name "Camel Girl" because she mostly walked around on all fours.

The Fiji Mermaid

Not all freak show exhibits were human. This "mermaid" was actually the top half of a monkey skeleton combined with the bottom half of a fish. P.T. Barnum (famous circus owner) himself came up with the idea for this creepy creature.

A meme from Miya:

WLR 10.12.12.png

Thank you for reading this special election edition of the White Lab Report! Post questions, comments, suggestions, or spam below, or email them to myralin@tarvalon.net. Americans, don't forget to vote for real today!
Thank you to Keisha, Miya, Enya, Lyara, Emerylde, Charis, and Myralin for this month's articles and graphics. Thanks to the rest of the Whites for brainstorming.

White Lab Report September 2012

Editor: Myralin al'Ser


Time for our next edition of the White Lab Report! This issue brings you some bubble tips from Enya, a yummy recipe from Avendaella, a review of Zombies vs. Unicorns from Myralin, the beginning of a short story from Lyara, along with a new graphics contest and the results from the last one. Feel free to post any comments or questions, or email them to myralin@tarvalon.net. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

This month's recipe is strawberry cake from Aven. Yum!
1 package of cake mix (White or Yellow) -I like using Duncan Hines mixes.

  • 1 Package of Strawberry Jello
  • 1/2 cup of Fresh Strawberries
  • 2/3 cup of Wesson Oil
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • 4 eggs

Mix cake mix and Jello add berries then oil. Slowly add the eggs 1 at a time. Mix in rest of ingredients and Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins

When Cool:

  • 1 box of Powdered Sugar
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1/2 cup of Strawberries

Mix and spread on cake.

  • Note this cake has to stay in the pan you cook it in. The icing is thin and will run off the cake if it's not in a pan.


Enya brings us this month's how-to article, with a guide to bubble-making!
Welcome to the first lesson of Bubblemaking! Remember how exited you were blowing bubbles as a child? Ever seen someone perform tricks that made you gasp? Well, now's the time to learn for yourself, and maybe it's your turn next to astonish your friends.
The first step to make fancy, fun Bubbles, is to have a good bubble solution and equipment. You can find some good ones in the store, but the best one is the one you make yourself. You'll need:

  • 3/4 tablespoon Glycerine (attainable at a drugstore)
  • 1 cup Dishwashing soap
  • 12 cups Water

Stir gently together, try to make no foam. For best effect, let it stand in an open container over night. After you get some experience, you might wanna experiment a bit on your own. Try changing the mix, or adding something sugary.
While your solution settles, lets see on that other equipment. You'll need one or several bubble wands. The best is to make them yourself, for instance with pipe cleaners or wire wrapped with yarn. They can have any form or size, as long as they form a closed loop. Or you could try making one of these.The best wands are those who can hold a lot of soap water. Other things that may come in handy is straws, a bowl, water based paint, markers, a towel and something sharp.
Now you should be ready to make a lot of cool bubbles. The next lesson will be about basic bubble tricks. In the mean time, you should try out your equipment. How big bubbles can you make? Can you make strangely shaped ones? Can you beat the records?

White Ajah announcements:

Be sure to wish our September babies a happy birthday! September:

  • 9- Dovienya el'Korim
  • 10- Arelai Seiklan
  • 10- Isarma Maracanda
  • 23- Natalya Laragan
  • 28- Locus Sarania

Congratulations to Lyara and Kelgan, recently bonded in the Light!
Our next open White chat will be held September 8-9 (Saturday and Sunday). Please join us in #whitechat if you're able!

Congratulations, and here's some sig bling

This month, our Bubble Award goes to the Gray Ajah! Ladies, we would like to thank you for honoring us with the Golden Keyboard Award for the Spammiest Ajah, and for being such good sports about it. Feel free to help us spam up this thread! Congratulations, and here's some sig bling!


This month in our Discussion section, we have Part 1 of a short story by Lyara, about a young girl's journey to the Tower.

Ever since she was a little girl in Andor, Ehvia had dreamt of being trained by the White Tower, just like the Queen. She really wanted to become Aes Sedai, but just going to the White Tower would be amazing. That dream was coming true today.

Ehvia stood outside the gates, staring up at the pinnacle of the Tower, wondering how long it would take to walk up all the stairs there must be in there to get to that high point. "Is there something I can do for you, young lass?" asked the guard, who was standing at attention near the gate, but still able to see everything going on around him. "I'm going to the White Tower to present myself for testing to see if I can become and Aes Sedai!" blurted Ehvia, then blushed furiously at her inability to hold her tongue. Laughing, the guard guestured her through, and patted her kindly on the shoulder.

Ehvia hiked her sack onto her shoulder better, straightened out her spine, tossed back her hair(only catching a little strand or two in her mouth and coughing) and marched toward the doors of the White Tower. As she entered the Tower, she could see several people walking around or sitting in the foyer. "Petitioners to the Amyrlin" she thought to herself.

Looking around, she spotted a small group of women walking toward her. Two of the three were wearing extraordinarily beautiful white dresses, and the third was wearing what looked like riding breeches and a sleeveless shirt, but all three were wearing shawls with White fringe. Two of them were being followed by men in cloaks that seemed to shift and avert her gaze. Ehvia's eyes grew wider and wider as the trio got closer until she was sure they would pop right out of her head! Then the woman in the breeches looked at her and.........

Smiled. "Hello, young lady. I am Lyara Sedai. Is there anything that I can do for you? You seem lost. Are you here seeking asylum? We offer asylum to any woman in need. Indeed, several of the people you see in here right now are our guests. Why are your eyes so large? Oh my! Why are you trembling so?" Ehvia's knees had started shaking and then her whole body as the Aes Sedai spoke to her. Suddenly she squeaked, dropped into a curtsy so low she thought she'd topple over, and said "Oh dear Creator she's TALKING to me!" All three Sedai laughed at the statement, and then one with her beautiful red hair up in an elegant bun helped her to her feet and said, "I am Keisha Sedai. You feel like you may have a spark in you. Have you come to be tested?"

Immediately, Ehvia considered reconsidering, but saw a look in the eyes of all three ladies that said she had no chance of that. So she said, simply, "Yes"

"Chalisea!" called the third Aes Sedai. "Come and take this young lady to the Mistress of Novices. I feel we may have a new addition to the Tower's ranks." She smiled kindly at Ehvia as the summoned girl, who was wearing a white dress with bands of color around the hem and sleeves, came toward her and curtsied to all three Aes Sedai. "Yes, Aduivas Sedai. I'll take her right away." Chalisea said, then she turned and looked at Ehvia . "You'll want to follow me, and don't stray. You could easily get lost in these halls."

The next door they stopped at was non-descript, and Ehvia wondered if she'd be there much more often. Then it opened, and a woman said "I am Lillian Sedai, Mistress of Novices. Welcome to TarValon."


This month's review is of Zombies vs. Unicorns.

Have you ever been sitting around, bored, and started wondering who would win in fights? Batman vs. Superman, Han Solo vs. Indiana Jones, ZOMBIES VS. UNICORNS? Well, some people have. And they decided to write a book about it. Zombies vs. Unicorns is a collection of short stories written by a variety of authors who have ultimately decided to be either Team Unicorn or Team Zombie. Each short story focuses on one of the fantasy creatures, and the beginning of each is marked with a logo of either a unicorn or a zombie, so you know what you're reading.

These short stories range from creepy to hilarious, from medieval settings to present day. The writing style and even nature of the mythical creatures varies from author to author. I highly recommend it for any fantasy fans.


Thank you for reading the September White Lab Report! We appreciate our hard work being enjoyed. Remember to enter our caption contest and to join us in #whitechat next week. Questions and comments can be posted below or sent to myralin@tarvalon.net. Thanks again for reading, and be back next month!
Thank you to Avendaella, Enya, Lyara, and Myralin for this month's articles. Also, thank you to Enya for keeping our graphics updated. And a big thank you to all the other Whites who helped brainstorm for this article!

White Lab Report August 2012

Editor: Myralin al'Ser

Welcome to this month's edition of the White Lab Report! It's been a while, so if you don't remember or you're new, the WLR is the White Ajah's monthly report of everything that goes on in our Bubble Lab! This month we're happy to bring you a recipe for Chocolate Bubble Cookies, an interview with the lovely Isarma, a WoT-themed comic contest, a guide to making Aes Sedai shawls, a book review, and some other goodies. Read on and enjoy.

This month's recipe is Chocolate Bubble Cookies! These yummy cookies are filled with Bubble Glue…. I mean marshmallows.

  • 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
  • 2 sticks (1 cup) salted butter, softened
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 12 ounces mini semisweet chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
  • 8 ounces mini marshmallows, frozen

Yield: about 3.5 dozen

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Until you are ready to assemble the cookies just prior to baking, keep the marshmallows in the freezer- otherwise they’ll thaw too rapidly.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Set aside.
3. Combine sugars in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, blind in butter, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour mixture and chocolate chips and blend at low speed until combined. Batter will be very stiff.
5. Gather 4 or 5 frozen marshmallows in the palm of your hand and cover them with a heaping tablespoon of dough. Wrap the dough around the marshmallows, completely encasing them and forming a 2-inch-diameter dough ball.
6. Place balls on ungreased cookie sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cool, flat surface.

For this month's how-to article, Kitan brings us a guide to shawl-making!

  • Disclaimer: information was from the old boards, all compiled in one article by Kitan.


While the books do mention some crucial parts of a shawl - mainly the fringe and Flame - we all have our own interpretations of the shawl, and I like to think each shawl can be as individual as the Sister who wears it. For those who don't know (since this is a public forum), many of our members have their own shawls and a lot of people also wear shawls at our official events.

(disclaimer: I am, by far, NOT a seamstress. However, I have made 2 shawls, so I believe I have the basics down. )

So let's talk about the components of a shawl!

Shape and Size

Most people I know of on the site, and also myself, envision the Aes Sedai shawl as a triangle. Here are some pictures from the New Spring comic:

A Red Sister with her shawl (New Spring)

Some people, like the idea of a rectangular shawl, however, first we’ll discuss how to determine the dimensions of a triangle shawl.

Triangle shawls

Figuring out the size of a triangle shawl actually takes a bit of math. Remember Pythagorean Theorem from high school? As far as math theorems go it’s pretty easy (heck, I can do it and I am seriously math-challenged), and it’s a GREAT help in figuring out a) how large your shawl should be and b) how much fringe you need (very crucial).

I, personally, have a very wide arm-span and a long torso. I like my shawls to be at least as long as my armspan, fingertip to fingertip...otherwise I find that the shawl really doesn’t stay on very well. I also like my shawl to be fairly long. I highly recommend measuring your armspan with a measuring tape and using that tape to figure out how long you want your shawl to be before buying your material.

On the old boards, Adolla Sedai of the Brown Ajah posted a very helpful diagram and formula for determining the size of a shawl (words adapted slightly for clarity):

"You want the shawl to be as wide as your arm span or a bit longer to wrap around your shoulders. Then look in the mirror and decide how low you want it to hang. Use half the width and the length to figure out the sides using the Pythagorean theorem. A^2 + B^2 = C^2. A= 1/2 the width of the top B= Length down the back C= 1/2 the amount of fringe you need. Get a few extra inches so you have room to mess up.


More Detail

The length between point X and point Y is your armspan (or you can just make it 60 inches if you don’t feel like measuring).

The length between points D and Z is the length from the bottom of your neck to the bottom of the shawl (or you can make it 36 inches if you don’t feel like measuring).

Length of segment a = half the distance between points X and Y (or 30 inches, if you’re using 60 inches)

Length of segment b = distance between points D and Z

To find the length of segment c, figure a^2 + b^2 = c^2 (Pythagorean theorem). Solve for c. Double the length of c and that’s how much fringe you need.

Extra is always good. I never fail to mess something up. I tend to cut after I've sewn it down, but then I usually don't have an extra yard.

Rectangle shawls

Here’s what Madelaine had to say about rectangular shawls:

"Rectangle shawls are easier to do than triangle ones.

When making a Native American dance shawl, I typically use a 60" square of fabric. If I want a rectangle, I use one that is 60" x 45 or 50". I choose a fabric that is of a medium weight that doesn't unravel easily. It should also not have any elastic or stretch to it.

I hem all four sides, using a double-fold hem (fold over 1/2", then again another 1/2"). I then fringe all four sides the same way I would a triangular shawl.

If I was going to make a rectangle Aes Sedai Shawl, I'd choose two lighter weight fabrics and do a lined Shawl. I'd put the Flame a little more than half way down the back of the Shawl and attach the lining. For myself, I'd use a rectangle that's 60" long and 96" wide. I'd fringe both 60" sides and one of the 96" sides, leaving the top 96" side free of fringe. The proportions of the Shawl should match the proportions of the woman wearing it."

Flame
The Flame of Tar Valon is the most iconic part of a shawl. Drawing a Flame, in my experience, is extremely difficult!

Luckily, the lovely Miriya Sedai of the Brown Ajah created a lovely, lovely illustration on the old boards that perfectly explains the proportions of a Flame of Tar Valon


Madelaine posted about the size of a Flame, and how she attached it to a shawl:

"For a Shawl that's over 40" long, I usually make the Flame at least 9 to 10 inches tall. The size depends on how big the Shawl is - a small Shawl will have a smaller Flame and vice versa.

On many of my Shawls, I fuse the Flame onto the main fabric using fusible webbing. I then sew a narrow trim around the edges. On Sela's Shawl, I made a double-layer Flame and then carefully sewed it by hand onto the Shawl. For a lined Shawl, I always attach the Flame before adding the lining.

On a couple of Shawls, including my own, I fused the Flame to a circle and then fused the whole thing to the Shawl. I added trim around the Flame and around the Circle."
I tend to make my Flame by printing out a picture of a Flame on a piece of paper as large as it will go, cutting it out, and tracing it onto the fabric I want to use with a sewing marker.

And as I mentioned, I am not a seamstress. So when I attach my Flame I cheat a bit. First I sew the Flame on with white thread, and then I use special sewing glue to attach a lining around the Flame to hide my messy stitching:

That technique has worked pretty well for me


Fringe

The fringe is one of the most interesting parts of a shawl. Let’s talk about it!

The Wheel of Time books say that an Aes Sedai's fringe is in the color of her Ajah. The New Spring comic also shows the fringe being very long:

Again, a Red Sister with her shawl (New Spring)
:


I’ve heard some people on this site say “the longer the fringe, the more pride in your Ajah,” but that’s not an official opinion.

While your fringe can be as long as you like, finding fringe as long as is shown in the New Spring examples can be very difficult! Short fringe (one to four inches) is easy to come by - I can find it at my local fabric store - but long fringe...not so much.

But you can get anything on the internet Many people and myself get our fringe from a website called Crazy Crow Trading Post. Crazy Crow is an online store that sells Native American products. The fringe is Native American dance shawl fringe, and you can find it in many colors.

You can get 2 types of fringe from Crazy Crow: Chainette and spool.

Chainette fringe

Chainette fringe is fringe that’s woven so it’s already a long strip with the fringe hanging down. It comes like this when you order it


Chainette fringe can be sewn right onto the shawl. If your shawl is lined, I highly recommend sewing the fringe to the inside of the shawl before sewing on the lining, so that the woven part is on the inside of the shawl. It looks much tidier that way

Crazy Crow offers two lengths of fringe: 14 inches and 18 inches.

The 14 inch chainette fringe comes in a plethora of colors, while the 18 inch chainette fringe comes in fewer colors. Another site offers chainette fringe, but not as long: http://www.mjtrim.com/fringe/chainette.html

Fringing your shawl with spool fringe is more complicated than using chainette fringe, but spool fringe gives you the freedom to customize exactly how long you want your fringe to be and how dense you want it to be.

Spool fringe
Spool fringe, as the name implies, comes on a spool. It’s basically high-quality string. You can hand-cut it to whatever length you want and hand-fringe your shawl with it.

Here’s an example of how spool fringe comes when you order it (picture courtesy of Crazy Crow)


Madelaine Sedai of the Brown Ajah posted a very simple method of how to hand-fringe a shawl on the old forums, which I’m saving here for posterity. I’ve adapted this description from 2 separate posts that she made about the technique. You’ll need your shawl, some spool fringe, a sharp metal yarn needle, and possibly a pair of pliers:
"I normally get the regular fringe, not the newer flat kind {chainette}. The spools are $18 - but you can normally get at least 2 shawls out of that, if not more.

I learned the technique for attaching the strands from a Native American elder from a reservation near where I live. She passed away quite a few years ago, but her teachings will remain with me forever.

Here's the basic technique:
Make sure the shawl edges have been hemmed and pressed flat. Work with the outer surface of the shawl on top.
Figure out how many strands you want in each spot and how far apart each spot is. I generally put the strands half an inch apart and use two strands at each spot.
Cut your fringe strands to TWICE the desired finished length plus 1 inch. If you want your finished fringe to be 12 inches long, you need to cut 25 inch long fringe strands.
Cut all the strands you will need plus 10 more before you start adding them to the shawl. To keep them from getting tangled, I use a lark's head knot to attach them to the bottom bar of one of those rounded plastic hangers.

1) Take two strands of fringe and fold them in half.
2) Holding the free ends of the two folded strands, put all four of the free ends through the eye of the metal yarn needle. Pull them through the eye of the needle until you have about 3 inches of loop on one side of the eye.
3) Pierce the hem of the Shawl with the needle about ¼ inch to ½ inch from the edge of the Shawl. Go from bottom (lining) to the top.
4) Pull the needle through until the eye comes through to the other side the fabric along with the two loops of fringe. If needed, use the pliers to grip the needle to force the eye through the layers of fabric. Wiggling the needle around in a circle and then pulling sometimes helps with this process.
5) Remove the needle from the loops of the fringe.
6) Bring the four free ends of the fringe up and through the loops. Enter the loops from the side closest to the Shawl fabric. Pull tight until the loop rests right up against the bottom edge of the shawl. This is a lark's head knot.
7) Using the four free ends, tie a simple overhand knot directly underneath the spot where the loop is holding the strands. This secures the fringe and helps keep the strands from working their way free of the loop. You may also add beads or work the strands like macrame.
8) Repeat Steps 1 through 7 at each spot until the entire shawl is fringed.
This method works best if you want a 6" or longer fringe. In my area, it is commonly used to make women's dance shawls for Native American pow-wows. I have a dance shawl I made over 10 years ago and the fringe still looks great despite having gone through quite a bit of vigorous dancing."
By the way, Madelaine makes hand-fringing a shawl sound very easy. It’s not quite as easy as it sounds (at least, not for me, anyway )...it does require a lot of patience. Or at least it does for me. Madelaine did mention that she would watch TV while she hand-fringed shawls, which is something she couldn’t do while sewing.
Crazy Crow sells spool fringe in many colors.
Some people like attaching beads to their fringe. While you can get beads at just about any craft store, Adra Sedai of the Green Ajah is a beader and she swears by Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. Search for Aurora Borealis beads if you want something super shiny and sparkly!
Other fringe options (also posted by Madelaine on the old forums):
"I've seen Native American dance shawls hand-fringed using thin ribbons or yarn. Both have a very unique appearance. I prefer to use the chainette because it "sways" better than yarn and is much less expensive than ribbon.
All you need to do a hand-fringe is a sufficient quantity of any material that is thin yet sturdy enough to be knotted.
Another method of fringing a Shawl would be to make the Shawl about a foot bigger all around than you want it to be, then cut the foot border into strips and knot the strips. I've seen this done on fleece blankets. Not sure how it would look on a Shawl, but is a possibility."
How much fringe do I need?
Again, from Madelaine:

Ready-To-Sew Fringe
"The average Shawl is usually at least 36 to 50 inches long at the point. Each of the diagonal sides will be slightly longer than this center length. A small Shawl might need only 2 yd of fringe while a larger Shawl may need up to 4 yd.
For the math-inclined, you can use the Pythagorean Theorem to figure out the exact length - just keep in mind that most places only sell the fringe in whole-yard increments."
Hand-Tied Fringe
"This method uses single-strand chainette wound into large spools. The yardage on a spool averages about 750 to 800 yd - sometimes up to 1500 yd. I can usually get at least 4 large Shawls out of a single spool where the fringe is double strands at least 14" long spaced about half an inch apart."
So there’s some Aes Sedai shawl-making methods! Please feel free to share whatever you find useful and ask questions.
Happy Sewing!

White Ajah Announcements:

Be sure to wish our August and September babies a happy birthday!
August:

  • 4- Xaviara Al'Nady
  • 5- Charis Delphi
  • 6- Chalisea Ridgedawn
  • 20- Kaileena Admar
  • 21- Aldazar Tiarana

September:

  • 9- Dovienya el'Korim
  • 10- Arelai Seiklan
  • 10- Isarma Maracanda
  • 23- Natalya Laragan
  • 28- Locus Sarania



Lyra came to guest with us starting July 9. Welcome, Lyra!
We would also like to celebrate our two newest aspirants, Chalisea and Charis. Welcome to the family, ladies!
Congratulations Satara and Myralin, our newest White Sisters!
Laralelle and Locus were recently bonded in the Light. Congratulations, you two!
Congratulations to Kitan and Aidan, who both happen to be getting married on August 11!
Congratulations to Amara, who has recently gotten engaged!
July brought us a complete change in leadership. Our new top dogs are:
Head- Keisha al'Benn
Heart- Kitan Tataru
Sitters- Andra Mikolan and Emerylde nÍ Róhan
Soul- Chalisea Ridgedawn

Congratulations everyone! Also, thank you to Isarma, Enya, Keisha, Aduiavas, and Satara who served before them.
Our next open White chat will be held on August 8-9! Our last one was such a success, we are working on making open chats a regular feature. Please join us in #whitechat on those days if you are able!

White Lab Report June 2009

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

First of all we would like to wish our own Rikka al'Vorik a safe journey with the Army for the next few months. She will be taking a leadership course and holding some instruction classes for Basic Training. Thank you for your dedication to our Country Rikka!

A very Happy Birthday to Ilenna and Amara this month and a warm welcome home to our newest White Sister Elin al'Nia! I had the opportunity to meet Elin last month as she was traveling around the south western states. She is a wonderful lady and we are all glad to have her as a Sister!

This month we have decided to give two Bubble Awards. Rehtaeh al'Navi and Magdalenna t'Zai have been Heads of the White and Gray Ajah for several years now. They have both done a fantastic job and will be missed. Thanks for all of your hard work ladies!

We opened up the Bubble Experiments to the general population this month and had a surprising amount of participation. Ghaul produced a radioactive Mushroom Cloud Bubble and Thalin experimented with Purple Bubbles which have now been confiscated due to the tendency to resemble Compulsion. I think the best bubble was produced by Mashiara. She brewed a Silver Bubble that made ones skin glow and sparks fly from the hair, caused things around us to freeze, and even made one subject grow quite large for awhile. As usual, all the effects were temporary and everyone is back to....well not normal because we couldn't make a Normal Bubble....back to business as usual.

In honor of all the bubbles, our shoe for the month is a Bubble Shoe!!

A big thanks to Natalya Laragan for her research into Real Life Bubbles:

The perfect bubbles!
by Natalya Sedai

Soap bubble is made of a very thin film of soap water that forms a sphere around air that is trapped inside the soapy film. Everybody has seen them, everybody has blown them, but what is the science behind the bubbles?

Some think that soap added to the water makes the water's surface tension stronger to keep the bubble together. Actually, the opposite is true. Soap added to water decreases water's surface tension, and stabilizes the bubble (through an action called the Marangoni effect). If you want even longer lasting bubbles, try adding a bit of glycerin to the water. It reduces the evaporation of water from the bubble.

Bubble is round because a sphere has the smallest surface amount for a given volume - which means the bubbles that make us happy are also physical illustrations of the minimal surface problem, which is a fairly complex mathematical problem.

White light is made up of all colors, all wavelengths. It is separated into colors as is reflects from the two surfaces of the thin soap film. If one of these colors is subtracted from white light, we see the complementary color. For example, if blue light is subtracted from white light, we see yellow. The skin of a bubble glistens with these complementary colors.

The Whites never get bored at playing with the bubbles. Looking at them calms you down, and makes you happy. Look at them: they are iridescent and fragile and perfect and they float in the air! If you want to make people smile, just take a bit of bubble solution with you, go to a public place and start blowing the bubbles. Spread the bubbly joy!

Read more about the bubbles:

Bubbles! By Ron Hipschman

For your own bubbly fun, try this:

The Exploratorium Bubble Recipe:

Here at the Exploratorium, we've found the bubble formula below to work fairly well in our exhibits.

  • 2/3 cup Joy dishwashing soap
  • 1 gallon water
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of glycerine (available at the pharmacy or chemical supply house.)


White Lab Report May 2009

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

Our congratulations go out to our April Birthday Girls: Em, Elin, Keisha, Lyssandra and Eilidh and our May Birthday Girls: Antarai, Rehtaeh, Sienna and Melaine
Several of our members are going to be celebrating a landmark birthday this year and we have all decided that "Fourty is the new Thirty!"

We are pleased to welcome Hilwa Katir and Selenia Soandor as our newest guests

Our dear sister Xaviara Sedai has just recently undergone serious surgery....please keep her convalescence in your thoughts/prayers.

Panda Shoe provided by Natalya Sedai....totally cute and casual!

The wonderful Thalin Gaidin has been awarded our illustrious Bubble Award! He has been a more than willing participant in our Bubble Experimentation and has recently been promoted to Gaidin....Congratulations Thalin!!

Speaking of Bubble Experiments, our Bronze Bubble was a huge success. It was a warm, happy brew with fun side effects including breathing fire and growing dragon wings and kitty tails!

Lyara recently interviewed the lovely Ilissa and here is what she had to say about being the Online Events Coordinator:

1. What brought you to TarValon in the first place and how long have you been here?

I came upon TarValon.Net while doing a search on Lanfear; I was trying to figure out something-or-other about her relationship to Lews Therin. I came upon the Library first and then started browsing around. The community caught my interest, I joined, and here I am! My join date is the 14th of December 2004, so I've been here for just over 4 years now.

2. Were there any festivals celebrated when you first joined?

What we now call Feast of Lights (I don't remember if it had any name back then or if it was just called 'freeweek') was due to begin a good week or so after I joined, but people had already started altering their avatars and so on.

3. Why did you decide to take up the position of OEC?

Kariada Sedai, the then Director of Membership Services (as that Dept was called before it was split up into RL Services and Community Development) contacted me and asked me to reply. I complied and got the job .

4. What was the greatest thing about being OEC?

Seeing members enjoy themselves in the forum and knowing that I and my team were a big part of making that possible!

5. What was the worst thing?

Updating the calendar before we got the calendar we have now! Seriously, what a chore! Other than that, the worst I can remember is the nitpicky work of sending out the Bel Tine baskets last year until we got it properly automated. Repetitive tasks suck!

6. What advice do you have for the new OEC?

Start your planning early!

7. How different is the site now compared to when you joined as far as festivals go?

The most noticeable difference is probably that we now have the Faire Ground forum, which opens for every festival. When I joined the threads pertaining to the Festival were everywhere, which both made it harder to maneuver for those wanting to participate and harder to ignore for those who just aren't interested. I think it's a good change ^^.


White Lab Report March 2009

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

Welcome to our Anni Edition White Lab Report! We had Eight brave White Sisters that attended the festivities this year, including a few from across the pond.

We would like to congratulate our lovely sister Aeryth Sedai on her recent marriage....may the happy couple live long and prosper!!

We have had a plethora of new Sisters in the past few weeks....please congratulate Dovienya Sedai, Isarma Sedai and Enya Sedai. Kaileena and Morwynna have joined us as our newest Aspirant Accepted and our current guests include Vallen, Dwynwen, Nyavene, Dorissa, and Niere.

We had to have a special Anni Bubble for this month. We choose the Mossy Bubble. It is dark green, soft and fuzzy and first hand observations indicate chilliness, dampness and shivering. More testing revealed uncontrollable dancing in conjunction with the loss of pants and spontaneous rain falling directly on the test subject. For those who suffered from PPD we provided a Pink Bubble which produced feelings of warm, fuzzy, lovey-ness.

The Shoe of the Month was found on the beautiful Cinderella foot of Kitiarah Sedai, newly raised to the Gray Ajah. Congratulations Sister and thanks for the fabulous footwear!

Our Bubble Award this month goes to Serinia Sedai and her Clipboard Ter'Angreal of Organization. She is our wonderful Mistress of Revels and she can pull together a live event like no one's business!!

Anni quotes:

"Meanwhile, back in the White Ajah Chambers, we eagerly awaited news of the live Raising of Enya..."--Rehtaeh

"Whites can find bubbles anywhere!"--Andra

"Nat has a tendency to speak Finnish to everybody when tired enough"--Everyone

And the White Adventures at Anni Reported by Andra Sedai:

For the first time in years, EIGHT members of the White Ajah were able to make it to an Official Event. There's a weird kind of symmetry in the fact that there were eight of us at the eighth Anniversary Party.

On Thursday, Natalya and Andra Sedai flew into Seattle to check out the city. We met Zhareen in the airport, procured transportation, and were on our way. First order of business was to find IKEA. You see, they have these yummy Swedish Meatballs... plus bedding and supplies for cheap! Three and a half hours later, we exited the most amazing and logical store ever weighed down with bedding, snacks, and beverages to stock our cabin. Then we headed to the hotel to drop everything off and take a break. Natalya ran into Vivianna, Riley and Taika in the lobby while checking a few things on the internet. Plans were discussed, but we continued on our separate ways. The three Whites went in search of food and the Space Needle with the help of Zhareen's little electronic friend Stewie the GPS (He has quite the temper when you go the wrong way). The area around the Needle was strangely deserted, but we found a little bistro, and Starbucks (of course). Then up into the sky we went. It was beautiful, fascinating, and COLD. Back at the hotel, we waited up for Keisha Sedai who survived many trials and tribulations on her travels and immediately went to sleep.

Friday morning, the four of us journeyed to Pike's Place Market to see the flying fish. Though we missed the fish :(, we found Noura! We went to a little restaurant with a spectacular view of the port for lunch then went exploring in the Public Market. There was beautiful produce and locally created arts and crafts. Then came time to journey to the site of Anni Party in a campground outside Olympia Washington.

The eight Whites trickled in, dealing with Rush hour traffic and getting lost in the campground in the dark. Andra, Natalya, Zhareen, Keisha, Noura, Aidan and Enya all met, and huggled and settled into The Cold Logic Creamery, where we quickly turned up the heat and created a toasty haven for the Ice Sedai of the White Ajah. Lyssandra was housed in a separate cabin with her own bottom bunk. On our first night we had our welcomes and enjoyed the Olde Warder and Hen tavern atmosphere. The food was amazing, and we all fell into talking as if this wasn't the first time we'd all been together. We'd known each other for years and our conversations reflected that.

The campsite was beautiful, with lovely trees and bridges over marshes to the various clusters of cabins. Once the sun went down however, it was pitch dark between the main lodge and the cabins. The quest for light became a running joke. At one point Zhareen used her camera flash in order to find the path and the bridge to our cabin. The sky was concealed by clouds and a light mist began falling late into the night as people spread out to their individual cabins and tried to get some sleep.

Saturday dawned cold and wet. It wasn’t actively raining, but it had overnight so the ground was pleasantly squishy. The Whites journeyed out into the cold in search of coffee and quiche for breakfast. It was a calm morning, so several of us brought out our knitting and crochet as we chatted and got to know the other members of the Tower who had come. An expedition was made to the local Target where the logical Whites obtained flashlights and glowing necklaces for the bridges so that no one would get lost in the dark again. The Amyrlin’s tournament began with horseshoes, then a footrace that was more of an obstacle course which all those who participated managed to navigate with success. Then came the ever popular swordfighting event, which drew the largest crowd of any event and even caught the interest of the park ranger who had come to check on us. There was much cheering and amusement as all competitors acquitted themselves well. The Whites were in full attendance and Enya our ickle Accepted was blowing bubbles for all to enjoy. The afternoon brought the revival of ‘Story-time’ from past years. The tradition of finding a ridiculous romance novel and sharing the hilarious bits has gone on for three years now. This year was no exception. ‘The Very Virile Viking’ brought much hilarity to the main lodge as the lovely Viv read of ‘trees… with… a branch…’ Though it could not surpass last year’s ‘yonia and pansy dust’. I’m not sure if any book can manage that.

The evening brought about the Official Ceremonies, the Costume contest, and the Da’covale Auction. Most importantly, at least for our Ajah, the wonderful Enya was Raised to Aes Sedai, and from the stunned expression on her face when Andra Sedai Summoned her, she had No Idea. This proves of course that even when practically bursting from excitement, Whites are plotsy enough to keep a secret. Draping a shawl across Enya’s shoulders, and enveloping her in a White Bubble hug, we welcomed our Sister home.

Noura Sedai entered the costume contest as a perfectly fabulous Seanchan Empress, complete with the entourage of a member of the Lower Blood (Aidan Sedai), A sul’dam (Zhareen Sedai) and a damane (Keisha Sedai) and a Truth Speaker (Newly Raised Accepted Dorissa). Lyssandra Sedai also entered the contest with a lovely red and white gown, but Noura won the votes for sheer WOW factor, and she deserved it! Our very own Natalya Sedai offered herself up as a Damane. As an ajah, we snapped her up with some debate, as she was in much demand, being so talented and generally wonderful. That said, the best we could do as a task for her was to give temporary tattoos to anyone and everyone that wanted one, so they were properly decorated for the festivities.

That night Seven Full Sisters of the White Ajah walked together across the cold and frosty ground to their cabin, and we looked up, and saw a huge expanse of stars through the trees. The Seven Aes Sedai found the Seven Sisters in the sky as we stood and shivered, gazing in awe until our shivers got the best of us and we really were Ice Sedai.

Sunday was a drizzly day and many stayed in bed recovering, or like many of us Whites, camped out in the main lodge to mingle and craft. The Tar Valon CCG tournament took place, but mostly Sunday was a cozy day as we all reveled in this chance to get to know each other better. Noura and Lyssandra had to say their goodbyes before lunch, and we knew it was the beginning of the end of this holiday. Andra, Natalya and Zhareen took over the kitchen with Riley to prepare dinner and got it done in record time. Meaning, we actually managed to serve it on schedule. It was a blast being able to hang out in a kitchen with my sisters. It was a long evening, because we didn’t want it to end, despite the fact that we as an ajah had kitchen duty early in the morning. In the cabin, there were snippets of the Viral (as Natalya labeled him) Viking shared until we finally turned out the lights and napped.

The cabin was up and cleared out early and then we attacked the kitchen with a vengeance! By the time we left, that place was sparking! Then came the IHOP breakfast and the final leavetakings. Tears were shed, many hugs were given. We had to send our dear Baby White home with a Blue who later threatened not to give her back! We did get her back though, safe and sound.

It was a fabulous Anni Party, and even I who is something of a veteran now, will never forget it. No Tower Party is ever the same, and this one trumps them all. The greatest reason for this is of course, how many of us were in attendance, and how we just… fit into each others lives. Thank you My Sisters for an amazing experience.


White Lab Report January 2009

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

A special welcome to our newest White Sister Isarma!

We have also have a new Soul this month....congratulations to Elin!!

Welcome to our wonderful Guests Morwynna and Autumn and our newest Aspirant Kaileena

Bubble of the Month Several bubble experiments were conducted this month but none were that spectacular. The Popcorn Bubble tasted like Pepsi and corn and was rather soggy. The Brownie Bubble was chewy but the Blues ate them all before a proper analysis could be made. The Lava Lamp Bubble was too hot to handle. More experiments will be forthcoming....

Shoe of the Month Shoes of the month submitted by Morwynna....can you say sexy?!? Dovienya was overheard saying, "heels are dangerous, but so am I!"


Recognition of the Month We would like to award Kytheria Sedai for her tireless work in providing recognitions for each of the ajahs and companies....Great job!!

Natalya has kindly provided us with a quote for the month: Quote: "We are being logical here, not diplomatic."


A commentary about New Year's Resolutions--by Elin al'Nia

Quote: Laurie Taylor, writing in the Times Higher Education Supplement on the 8th January 2009, gives the definition of a New Year's resolution as "something that goes in one year and out the other". How cynical can you get?

This year, my resolution was going to be: become healthier and take more exercise. Unfortunately, I spent the New Year lying flat in bed with a bad back, suffering from the remnants of the cold and cough virus that's doing the rounds here so not much chance to be energetic and I screwed up the healthy bit too. In fact, winter’s so cold and damp and there are so many germs going the rounds that I really need lots of warm, comforting food and medicinal alcohol so diets and exercise are right out of the question. Hot toddies and curling up by the fire are infinitely preferable.

Actually, I always find the timing of New Year's Resolutions totally illogical. New Year comes a week after Christmas Day when I'm still munching and slurping my way through the several boxes of chocolates and bottles of wine that I'm invariably given, to say nothing of hoovering up the mountain of leftover food, munchies and snacks which I stocked up on before the holiday in case we had lots of visitors (who either didn't materialise or declined the offer of food as they have greater willpower than I have). I invariably resolve to lose weight each year and am immediately sabotaged by the said leftovers and edible gifts. After all, I can’t throw them away uneaten. Think of all the people in the world who are starving.

Perhaps it would be more sensible for me to make my resolutions at another holiday time, such as Easter. Oh, but there are all the Easter eggs available to eat and Cadbury’s Cream Eggs are in the shops (UK confectionary, extremely sweet and sickly, only sold January to Easter), too much temptation I fear. My birthday? Ah well, being a spring baby it’s traditional for my family to give me said Easter eggs (and aforementioned Cadbury’s Cream Eggs) as birthday persents and it would be rude to refuse them.

Summer might be a good time to make my resolutions, lots of sunshine, salads and opportunities to go walking. And out on the motorbike during the day, with regular stops at the bacon buttie and burger van and in the long summer evenings the walk invariably ends at the pub. The British pub and real ale being declining traditions which I feel obliged to support on patriotic grounds.

Well, there’s always autumn. What’s that? Ah, Thanksgiving (yes, I know that I’m British and we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving but I always feel that I need to participate in solidarity with my American sisters). Maybe not. And then it’s Christmas time, with its round of parties and family meals. Never mind, it’ll soon be New Year and a fresh start.

But what about the Christmas leftovers? *Sighs* Maybe Laurie Taylor has a point.


White Lab Report, December 2008

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

Welcome all to the much abbreviated holiday version of the White Lab Report! With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays we chose to keep our newsletter short and sweet this month.

December Birthdays
Our December birthdays include: Loira, Arcadia and Kyria....happy birthday ladies!

Bubble of the Month
The Bubble of the Month is Forest Green. It is rumored to include Green Water which may or may not have strange effects on the females of the site. It has a pleasant minty flavor and displayed healing properties on several victims, er, volunteers that suffered adverse reactions to the previous Red Bubbles.

Shoe of the Month
The shoe of the month is actually a Boot. With all of the snow many of us are experiencing, warm and functional footwear is a must. These are also cute and stylish!


The White Ajah would like to wish everyone a Wonderful Yule Tide Season: Merry Christmas, Happy Hannakah, Happy Kwanzaa, and a Grand Festivus for the Rest of Us!


White Lab Report, November 2008

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

Our first edition was such a hit we decided to do it again!

Since November is the month that Americans celebrate Thanksgiving I would like to begin by listing some blessings. I put out a call for extra special happenings in the past year that we are thankful for but the responses were surprising. Most of the ladies who replied were simply grateful for everyday happenings. I would like to include a quote by Wen Sedai:

Big blessings are fun, and I appreciate them, but they're generally not the ones I count at the end of every day or the ones that make me smile goofily when I'm daydreaming. :)

White Ajah Guests
Our current guests include: Viola, Zimone, Alatariel, and Kaileena

White Ajah Aspirants
These wonderful ladies are Aspiring to EnWhitenment: Arelai, Elin, Enya, Isarma, Sienna, and Dovienya

November Birthdays
Our November Birthdays: Aeryth, Alene, Bridonna

Bubble of the Month
Bubble of the Month: Red
Side effects include memory loss and minor explosions, I do believe Lyara Sedai did have to purchase a new dress and Liiane lost her nose. No one could be enticed to actually try them, this was only from the production of the Bubbles.

Shoes of the Month
The shoes of the month were provided by Lyara, she describes them as "illogically, awesome shoes....quite odd."
Glove Shoes

Bubble Award
We would like to give the Bubble Award to our own Dralyn Sedai for all of the hard work and dedication to her position. She is one who doesn't seem as boisterous as some, but without whom we could not exist.Chomp

Keisha Sedai's Meeting with Brandon Sanderson
Here is an abridged version of Keisha Sedai's meeting with Brandon Sanderson several weeks ago:

Brandon Sanderson is incredibly wonderful, awesome and seemed really easy going. He read an exerpt from one of his books and then signed books and did a Q and A. Much of this many of you may already know such as the NDS (non-disclosure statment) that he has signed that prevents him talking about MoL. What he did say was that we WILL be told who killed Asmodean!! :clap

He plans to turn in the first 400,000 words to TOR by December or January and then another 300,000 words shortly after that. Because of the length MoL he said he is about 80% sure it will be divided into two volumns one being released in November of 2009 and the second around January or February of 2010. However, he is writing it as one book and the speculation about the division derives from the fact book publishers tend to think two $20 books will make them more money than one $30 book. :blink

As far as the two prequels....he has not been approached about those but he said he is willing to write them if he is asked. The Mat and Tuon thing will probably not happen and to be honest do we really want it to? In my opinion I think we can let that one be.

He discussed how his writing style differs from RJ's stating that he is not as detailed oriented and Harriet has asked him to provide more details in some sections. He did say he is writing "more explosive and detailed action sequences" so it appears the detail will be there....just not on what everyone is wearing. Also he said his Point of View and Narrative style was different.

Mr. Sanderson stated that he felt like this "massive, enormous book" was more like seven books because he writes about the Perrin stuff and then the Rand stuff and then the Elayne stuff and so on and so forth.

All of my boys went and they each got a book signed and the younger two got signed posters too! In fact, we were able to purchase the second Alcatraz book that night even though it wasn't due to be released for several more weeks. It was a numbered copy and I think we may have to go buy another copy to read because these are going to be placed in a Keeping! :)

Brandon Sanderson talking about his books
Brandon Sanderson and Keisha


White Lab Report, October 2008

Editor: Keisha al'Benn

We in the White Ajah have come together in a shameless attempt to copy the Brown Ajah with our own version of a monthly newsletter. (Just remember imitation is the highest form of flattery) So pull up a chair, pour a cup of tea and enjoy some enWhitenment!

White Ajah Guests
Currently Guesting with us: Thalya, Willow, Rina, Torrie

White Ajah Aspirants
Our Newest Aspirant: Elin :joy

October Birthdays
Zhareen and Arelwen

Our New Soul
Congratulations to our new Soul!!: Isarma  :clap

Bubble of the Month
Fuchsia (yes I had to look up the spelling
Fuschia Bubble

Many thanks to our darling test subject Locke, he did lose his ears but they eventually grew back with only a slight tinge of pink.

Shoe of the Month
Xavaria provided us with the Shoes of the Month. A lovely Ed Hardy Highrise found at Zappos.com. Comfy enough to scuzz around in, fancy enough for a night out with your favorite gaidin.
Ed Hardy Highrise

Bubble Award
We will be honoring a special TV.net member in each issue. Chomp
This month the distinguished Bubble Award goes to Ninya Sedai of the Blue Ajah! [1]
Ninya goes above and beyond the call of duty in many ways. She is wonderful and talented and we lurve her!!

Elin interviews Amara Sedai
A special thanks to Elin and Amara for the following interview:

You may not know that our own Amara Danicek is currently undertaking volunteer work on the other side of the world to most of us. She has kindly taken time from her busy schedule to share her some of her experiences and answer some questions. I found her replies fascinating and am sure that you will too ...

What’s the background to you being in China? How long have you been there?

I’m here as a volunteer English teacher through an organization called Worldteach. I will also be volunteering at some orphanages as soon as the paperwork is done. I’m in the province of Hunan teaching at a school in a factory town called Tianxin and it doesn’t get much more real China than this. The school I am at does not have a library so I’m currently trying to help them acquire some books since most of my students are too poor to afford English books. I’ve been here for almost three months now and I’ll stay for one or two years.

Are you inspired to travel some more?

I’ve always loved to travel and to get off the beaten path so I think this experience hasn’t so much inspired me to travel more as confirmed my belief that I’ll be quite happy as an expatriate.

What was your initial reaction when you first arrived?

I was pretty numb when I first arrived with how overwhelming everything was. I don’t think it really hit me until I left Changsha for my placement site and was on my own. I love it here but I definitely get days of “what was I thinking?”

Have you any funny stories about your stay?

I’ve got quite a collection of stories. You’ve got to laugh at things here to keep up your mental state. Here are two more recent ones though:

I was travelling for Golden week to Nanjing with another volunteer. We were pretty bored there so we decided to go onto Shanghai the next day. We didn’t want to wait in line at the train station (which could take 4-5 hours) so we were trying to hunt out a ticket agent. We saw a westerner and approached him to ask if he knew where one was. Unfortunately, he was only visiting but turned out to be a French Canadian circus performer. To cut a long story short, after helping him get dinner we snuck into the circus with him, pretending to be performers ourselves and got to meet carnival folk from all over the world.

A more typical story here is that my hot water and been broken for over a week and my toilet has never really worked and so I was waiting to hear from my liaison on when it would be fixed. Mrs. He texted me while I was chatting with Andra, but she did not mention a thing about the water heater or toilet. Instead her text proudly proclaimed: “ the school has decided give you kitchen yard.” Very confused, I asked Andra what a “kitchen yard” might be. She guessed it was a garden where you can grow herbs and vegetables for cooking. My immediate thought was “why does the school think I want to garden? I don’t even have hot water or a toilet!” Sure enough, Mrs. He was knocking on my door about ten minutes later carrying bed sheets, a pot, and a kitchen cleaver. “See,” she said, “new kitchen yard!”

What do you think are the biggest difference from home? And what similarities have you found?

Hygiene and basic manners differ so much here! Little children have slits in their pants and just do their business whenever and wherever they are. People, especially middle-aged men, spit and smoke everywhere, even under signs saying not to. The old people here cut and push in line so you have to be prepared to protect your ribs and be ready to elbow back if you want to get anywhere.

The students here are the same. Our idea of the perfect angelic Chinese student is totally false. They are kids like anywhere and some of them are better behaved than others. Even the most studious student here won’t do a thing you tell them if they think they can get away with it! Really, I think the everyday interactions between people are the same. You really see this if you are a foreign teacher because the kids feel like they can come talk to you about stuff and so end up hearing a lot about fights with parents and friends, unrequited crushes etc.

What do you think the West could learn from Chinese culture?

There is so much we can learn from each other! For one thing, connections mean everything to the Chinese and so they are really loyal to their friends and families here. They don’t just throw things away here. I think that these are things the west really needs to relearn for the sake of society. Furthermore, the respect that families have here for the elderly is outstanding! It is really touching to see the grandparents playing with the children all the time, or teenagers willingly helping their grandfather or grandmother go to the store. People in the west are too afraid of their own mortality and so shy away from the elderly; it’s a shame.

What’s the best thing that you’ve found? And what don’t you like?

I think the people here are the best thing I’ve found. I cannot even begin to express how helpful and friendly everyone here is. They are truly grateful that I’ve come here to teach and go out of their way to invite me to things and make sure I’m part of the community. I’ve only been here for a little while but I’ve already made quite a few close friends.

I don’t like the pollution here. I’m living next to ZhuZhou which, depending on the source, is considered the 13th most polluted city on earth. That’s why it is so important for these kids to learn English so they can have a chance at going to University or at least getting better jobs so they can get out of here.

What’s the food like?

The food in Hunan is famous! It is really potent stuff! Every dish here is laced with hot peppers and other spices, not to mention copious amounts of oil. If it moves, they eat it here. I’ve already eaten some crazy stuff: stinky tofu (which smells like a goat pen), thousand year old egg, entire frogs, turtles.

Have you found any good shoes there?

I’m sure there are if I were to cut off my toes to make my feet fit. Honestly though, I’m living on $300 a month so I don’t really have any extra money for shoes so I don’t even look.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers? If anyone would like to know more about my trip or see pictures they can check out my blog at: Amara's Blog

Also, if anyone is interested in helping or volunteering themselves here is the website to the organization I’m working with: World Teach They do work in developing countries all over the world.

Many thanks, Amara Sedai!

~Interview by Elin al'Nia